Gordon Smith '49 knows what it is to stand in the role of leader. Throughout his life, he has found himself there—sometimes by choice, sometimes by proxy. Whatever the circumstances, he has used the opportunity to provide for others.
Lessons in Diplomacy
Gordon smiles as he recalls his senior year at the University of Sioux Falls, when he was elected student body president. "Students always want something," he says. It was his job to take their cases to the administration—including his father, then-President Ernest Smith. "It was always congenial."
Those early experiences established a lifelong love for the University. Gordon married his college sweetheart, JoAnn Kelley '48, raised a family (three biological children and 35 foster kids), and built a career in church pension fund management, moving often and traveling extensively, but stopping by the University whenever possible to catch up with faculty and staff.
Issuing a Challenge
Now 85, Gordon wants to challenge other alumni to follow suit on a decision he has made with his gift annuity. "When I took that annuity out," he says, "I needed every penny of it. But I've come to a place in my life where I don't need it anymore." So he canceled it, allowing the University to put its remaining funds to work immediately.
"It's a very astute way for him to make an impact now," says Jeff Veltkamp, executive director of the USF Foundation. "It turns a liability the University had into an immediate gift that can have an impact on students right now. It's very unique—and it's who he is."
"I have a very warm spot in my heart for the University, and for two good reasons," Gordon says. "It gave me opportunity, and it gave me the lady who turned out to be my wife."
For Gordon Smith, it's another instance in which giving—and leading by example—just came naturally.
