CT Philanthropist Dies, With Arts To Benefit

A seed heiress living in Connecticut has died, leaving $16 million to various arts groups in the state. Louise Wheelock Willson was a passionate promoter of the arts, donating money to various groups and handing out stacks of tickets to friends and acquaintances in an effort to promote the groups she supported. The Hartford Symphony, Connecticut Opera, and New Britain Museum of American Art are among the list of beneficiaries in her will, and the big winner is the Nutmeg Ballet in Torrington, which will receive $5 million, the biggest gift in the company’s history.