Bessie Brooks Winspear

A gift to honour: Winspear sons pay tribute to mother 

Bessie Brooks Winspear was the wife of philanthropist Francis Winspear.

Their son, Bill Winspear, requested in his 1999 pledge of $1 million to the library expansion campaign to honour his mother posthumously with a named space in the library.

Another son, Claude, also contributed to this legacy in his mother's name through a $250,000 bequest from the Winspear Foundation.

The Bessie Brooks Winspear Music & Media Commons enhances the use of the music and audio collections at UVic, a fitting tribute to the Winspear's family long-standing passion for music, opera and theatre.