The mother of a former College of San Mateo chemistry instructor has left $1.2 million to her daughter's memorial scholarship fund, the largest gift ever received by the San Mateo Community Colleges Foundation.

The money in the Susan Duckworth Memorial Scholarship Fund is now used to help science majors transferring from the College of San Mateo to four-year colleges and universities. Georgi LaBerge, executive director of the foundation, said the additional money would make it possible to offer scholarships to students who go on to graduate work as well.

Duckworth was a chemistry instructor for the College of San Mateo from 1958 to1967, when she died. Her mother, Alma Duckworth, died last year at the age of 104 and left her entire estate to the scholarship fund.