Mary Gilmore Smith, who had a connection to Syracuse University for nearly 90 years, died on January 18 at the age of 106. At the time of her death, she was the longest-standing annual donor to the university.
Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Syracuse in 1929 and master’s degree in 1938. In 1938, Smith was named the first vocational counselor of women at the university and served as acting dean for women during summer sessions from 1938 to 1941. In 1940, she married Edward Allen Smith, an instructor in business law at Syracuse University. At that time, spouses of faculty members could not be employed at the university so she resigned.
In 1957, Smith returned to the university as assistant dean of the College of Home Economics. From 1963 to 1972, Smith served as an academic counselor in the Women’s Center at University College. In 1972, Smith retired from the university but remained active in the alumni association. In 2004, Smith was inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York.