Larry V. Smith, a long-time friend and substantial supporter of the Penn State Behrend community, passed away at the age of 79 on March 9 at Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie, Pa following a brief illness.

       

Smith and his wife Kathryn, though many students may not know them personally, have become a part of each individual who steps into the daily bustle on Behrend’s campus as the main proponents and funders of the Smith Chapel located just below the Burke building.

       

Rushing between classes on campus, students hear chimes coming from the Smith Chapel. Every quarter, half and full hour the chimes ring out across campus bringing a somber charm of college life to each individual within earshot. The Smith Chapel has become a staple of the Behrend campus and is sometimes a friendly, and other times harsh, reminder of the time throughout our busy days.

       

As Penn State Behrend’s chancellor Ralph Ford put it, “Larry and Kathie Smith’s support of Penn State Behrend is seen, heard and felt every day on our campus…the carillon bells, which ring every quarter hour, are a regular reminder of the Smith family’s generosity. As both a friend and supporter of Penn State Behrend, Larry will be missed.”

       

Along with the Smith Chapel, Smith’s continued support of the Behrend community has helped the campus grow throughout the past several decades. These include donations of land parcels near and on the Behrend campus, including the land on which the Federal House still stands today, perhaps one of the oldest brick structures in the Erie area.

       

Although Smith was not an alumni himself, he and his wife Kathie understood the value that Penn State Behrend brought to the Erie area and looked to support its continued growth at many different junctions. The Smith Chapel was dedicated in 2001 which to this day holds mass, offers a place for solitude and prayer and has also been the host to hundreds of wedding ceremonies.

       

In 2011, the Smith family enacted another legacy gift to the Behrend community by creating an endowed scholarship to provide chances to those students of Erie County in need of financial support. To this day the Larry and Kathryn Smith Family Trustee scholarship has paved the way for 25 students from the Erie area towards a brighter future through a Penn State Behrend education. “We have always believed in giving back and instilled that spirit in our children as well,” Smith said in 2011 during the announcement of the scholarship. “Our family has been blessed over the years, and we hope this scholarship will encourage promising students from families in need of financial support.”

       

Smith is survived by his wife, Kathryn Mehler Smith; their daughter, Colleen, and her companion, Brent, of McKean; their son, Kevin, and his wife, Julie, of Lake City; and four grandchildren.

       

A funeral service was held in Smith Chapel on March 15, 2018. Memorial gifts can be made to the Larry V. and Kathryn A. Smith Family Trustee Scholarship Fund or the Larry and Kathryn Smith Chapel at Penn State Behrend.