BARRINGTON, R.I. - A year to the day after the death of George Sage, founder of Bonanza Bus Lines, a private school here announced Mr. Sage had bequeathed $4 million to its endowment.

Mr. Sage, who was well known in Rhode Island as a philanthropist, civic leader, sports enthusiast and entrepreneur, directed that the money go to St. Andrews School, an institution he actively and financially supported for nearly 20 years.

His gift is the largest ever received by the small, independent boarding and day school, boosting its endowment to more than $21 million, an increase of more than 23 percent.

Mr. Sage made his fortune by taking a half-interest in a one-bus company and building it into Bonanza Bus Lines, one of the most successful regional line-haul operations in the U.S. He died at the age of 75 on Dec. 4, 2006, while playing tennis. (See Dec. 15, 2006 Bus & Motorcoach News.)

The bequest was disclosed by Mr. Sage's widow, Barbara, at a meeting of the school trustees.

The announcement of Mr. Sage's gift comes at a time when St. Andrew's is expanding. The money will allow the school to sustain its mission of providing a small learning environment for youngsters who require support to make the most of their educational strengths, headmaster John D. Martin told a Rhode Island newspaper.

In the past 10 years, St. Andrew's has nearly doubled its enrollment, from 119 to 216 boys and girls in grades 6 to 12. The addition of a lower school next fall will boost the student body to 250.

Martin said St. Andrew's addresses the needs of children who, for a variety of reasons, learn differently than is expected in other schools. About 40 percent of the students have learning differences related to the acquisition of speech, language and other literacy skills, he said. He shies away from describing those differences as learning disabilities, saying the term carries a negative connotation that runs contrary to the school's emphasis on building children's strengths.

Martin said Mr. Sage "believed passionately in what we're trying to do for kids." He believed "educators should run the school, and trustees should support the educators," Martin said.

Mr. Sage served as a school trustee for 17 years. He became involved with St. Andrew's through friends who were trustees, and he chaired a capital campaign that added a science center, a center for the arts and the George Sage gymnasium.

Martin, who counted Mr. Sage as a personal friend, described him as a "wonderful, caring, loving man." "The bus line worked because he cared deeply, not just about the business but about the people in the business," said Martin.