Grace Watson made a decision long before her death in 1961 that RIT's educational programs would have a unique and progressive aspect. This unassuming Rochester woman, whose life never gave evidence of wealth, was anxious that her resources be used constructively and to the greatest possible long-term advantage. She left a percentage of her estate to RIT as an educational grant. That portion turned out to be one of the largest bequests ever made to RIT at the time. It was this bequest which strongly influenced the decision for RIT to move to the new Henrietta campus in 1968.

In 1959, New York State had announced that it would divide the downtown campus in half, due to the construction of an extension to the expressway's inner loop. Grace Watson's generosity enabled the Institute to buy 1,300 acres of land in Henrietta, a critical factor in facilitating the move.