At a luncheon on Dec. 4 in Baltimore, the Hodson Trust presented grants totaling $6,094,586 to four Maryland colleges. Johns Hopkins University, Hood College and Washington College each will receive $1,764,151, and $802,133 will go to St. John's College.

"The Hodson Trust believes firmly and completely in the value of education," said Finn M.W. Caspersen, chairman of the Hodson board of trustees since 1976. "It makes a crucial difference to individuals, to the United States and to the world."

Settled in 1920 by the family of Col. Clarence Hodson, founder of Beneficial Corp., the Hodson Trust has honored its namesake's interest in higher education by giving millions of dollars to endow academic merit scholarships at the four Maryland colleges. In addition, grants from the trust have supported research, academic programs, new facilities, professorships and other initiatives to advance the schools' missions.

Johns Hopkins President William R. Brody said, "The generous support of the Hodson Trust has made a truly remarkable difference at Johns Hopkins, and Finn Caspersen has been an invaluable partner in our efforts to advance this university."

In October, Hopkins dedicated Hodson Hall, a state-of-the-art academic building on the Homewood campus, which Brody called "the latest of the many, many investments the trust has made here." This year's Hodson grant, he said, will increase endowments for Hodson Scholarships, the Provost's Undergraduate Research Awards and the Hodson Directorship of the Digital Knowledge Center at the Milton S. Eisenhower Library. It also will support a Young Investigator's Award at the Kimmel Cancer Center.