LA LAGUNA (TENERIFE), 18 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The University of La Laguna (ULL) welcomed the visit of siblings Anja and Robert Verbeist from the Netherlands this Tuesday. They came to explore the Medicine Department within the Faculty of Health Sciences and to understand the destination of the 380,000 euros which their step-grandmother, Meta Helene Verbeist-Jacobs, bequeathed in 1988 to support medical studies at the Tenerife institution.
Due to various circumstances, this donation was not realised until last year, as stated in a ULL announcement.
The Verbeist siblings were greeted by the rector, Francisco García; the vice-rector for Culture and University Outreach, Isabel León; the current dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, José Luis Pais; his predecessor in office, Agustín Castañeyra; and the vice-dean of the Medicine Department, David Machado.
The inheritance funds have been held in the University of La Laguna’s accounts since last year, so the visit on Tuesday served as a formal occasion to express gratitude to Anja Verbeist for her determination in ensuring that her grandfather’s second wife’s last wishes could be fulfilled despite various unexpected challenges.
The siblings toured the Medicine Department’s facilities, including laboratories and classrooms, to see how the funds would be allocated. According to the wishes of the bequeathed, the money can solely be used for teaching and research purposes.
Dean José Luis Pais mentioned that while there is currently no final decision on the allocation of these funds, it is likely they will be invested in purchasing equipment for research initiatives.
He also remarked that this scenario serves as a “good example” of the private patronage culture seen abroad, which remains relatively uncommon in Spain due to a lack of supportive legislation.
COMPLICATED FAMILY BACKGROUND
A convoluted family history and some administrative misunderstandings account for the fact that a legacy from 1988 only materialised thirty-five years later.
The origin traces back to Dutch journalist Julius Verbeist, who resided in Puerto de la Cruz until his passing and developed a strong bond with the then commissioner dean of the newly established Faculty of Medicine at the University of La Laguna, Miguel Guirao.
This Dutch national had severed ties with his former wife and their children and married Meta Helene Verbiest-Jacobs, with whom he lived in Tenerife.
Julius passed away in 1970, and his widow was grateful for the care her husband received at the new university hospital.
As there were no direct descendants, she opted to bequeath that money to the University of La Laguna, specifically to the Faculty of Medicine.
Due to a non-existent relationship with his father and his second wife, Julius’s son remained unaware of the inheritance.
Subsequently, a banking error unveiled the situation years later. In 2011, Verbeist’s mother received a notification from her bank regarding an account balance that was unusually high.
Specifically, it was the bank statement of the late Meta Helene, which was inadvertently sent to her, as both women shared the same initials – MJ Verbeist – and the bank erroneously linked her account with that of the deceased.
This surprising income prompted the family to investigate the origin of the funds, leading them to uncover the unfulfilled inheritance dating back to 1988.
Ultimately, Anja Verbeist succeeded in reaching out to the then dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Agustín Castañeira, which allowed this generous final wish to be accomplished, as emphasised by ULL.
