the most direct east-west route between Worcester and Boston. Route 290, a highway being
built at the time to connect the Turnpike, south of Worcester to the northeast corner of the state, would have an exit close to the new campus, adding to its centrality and accessibility for central
and northeastern New England. With approval from the Dean and encouragement from the City Manager and local legislators, the Trustees proposed that the governor ask the Legislature for
funding as soon as possible to buy several small parcels needed to square off the Worcester State Hospital site and to pay for architects’ fees to begin the planning process.52
Francis J. McGrath (Photo courtesy of the
Office of University Relations, University of Massachusetts Medical School)
At this point, further delaying tactics ensued. On November 9, Dr. Paul Dudley White and
Edward Weeks, editor of the Atlantic Monthly, became the first two signatories of a lawsuit brought by the Massachusetts Taxpayers’ Committee for Quality Medical Education, a suit
charging that the trustees violated their responsibilities by approving plans for a second-rate
school. The suit asked for an injunction against further development of the Worcester site, a move designed to forestall the legislature from approving budget requests for the school from Governor
Volpe. White gave his reasons in a private letter to state senator Conte. They included his genuine belief in the benefits of a campus-based medical school for both the medical and the liberal arts campuses, but they went further. White apparently believed that a medical school in Worcester was the Trojan horse for developing an entire state university campus in Worcester as well. He believed the expense and delays involved in such a complex project would doom the medical
school to an unnecessarily protracted launch. About a week later, Representative Scibelli, made it known that funds would not be appropriated for the University of Massachusetts Medical School 93