The Alden Society recognizes and celebrates those individuals who have included WPI in their estate plans through a will or trust, an IRA or other retirement plan, a life income or other planned gift, or those who have created a named endowed fund at WPI. Membership is about giving you recognition now for your plans to support WPI in the future.
When you join the Alden Society we'll welcome you with an Alden Society lapel pin featuring WPI's beloved beech tree, special news and information just for our Alden Society members and a special gift. Join Today!
Throughout the year, you'll be invited to the annual Alden Society luncheon during Alumni Weekend and events to learn more about how theory and practice continue to inform teaching and research at WPI. Best of all, you'll receive the satisfaction of knowing you are helping to advance the educational and research mission of the university.
About George I. Alden
The Alden Society is named in honor of George I. Alden for his relentless pursuit of knowledge and his philanthropic legacy.
Born in 1843, a descendent of Mayflower passengers John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, George I. Alden graduated from Harvard's Lawrence School of Science in 1868 and was appointed WPI's first professor of mechanical engineering. As head of the Mechanical Engineering Department, he helped shape the school's founding principle merging theory and practice. He also earned a reputation for his pioneering work in hydraulics and established the Alden Hydraulics Laboratory in nearby Holden, Massachusetts, which became an internationally known research center.
Alden served as acting president of WPI twice and was a trustee for 14 years. In 1896 he resigned from the Institute to devote all his attention to Norton Company, which he helped to establish in 1885. During his lifetime, he set up a philanthropic trust to continue his support for education and for WPI after his death. Today, with nearly $25 million in commitments, the George I. Alden Trust is recognized as one of WPI's most generous benefactors.