Retired NIU librarian endows arts scholarships

by Mark McGowan

Lester Smith traces his interest in art and music to his elementary school days, when he loved to draw and listen to music at school assemblies.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in art (studio arts and interior decoration) from California State University-San Diego in 1949. He worked as an interior decorator in his native San Diego.

Life changed, however, when he was drafted into the Army during the Korean war.

Smith spent nine months after his two-year hitch in a military hospital recovering from tuberculosis contracted in Korea. Upon leaving the hospital, and with Montgomery G.I. Bill money in his pocket for furthering his education, he chose to seek a master’s degree in library science.

With regard to art, “I think of myself more as a connoisseur than a practitioner,” says Smith in his tranquil DeKalb home, where he is surrounded by pottery, glassware, wood, sculptures and paintings, some created by his friends: “I finally had to draw a line in collecting, however, because I didn’t have any more room.”

Smith will continue to support artists – and musicians – in the coming years and decades nonetheless by endowing scholarships for students in the NIU School of Art and the NIU School of Music, both in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

His significant gift creates two funds – “The Lester K. Smith Endowed Creative Art Scholarship” and “The Lester K. Smith Creative Music Scholarship” – that will benefit advanced undergraduate and graduate students in art and music. Each fund will award two scholarships annually.

Others are welcome to contribute to the endowments. More information is available through the NIU Foundation, 204 Lowden Hall or (815) 753-0782.

“I have been so fortunate to have received help myself. I am where I am today because of the federal government’s programs. All of my graduate education was paid for,” says Smith, who completed his master’s (1957) and Title II-funded Ph.D. (1972) at the University of Southern California. “I wanted to give something back, and the best way was to fund scholarships. I don’t think the humanities get as much (financial) support.”

Paul Bauer, director of the School of Music, is grateful for Smith’s gift.

“The School of Music’s area of greatest need is scholarship support,” Bauer says. “Lester’s gift is significant and will allow us to provide support to probably multiple performers each year. It’s the greatest gift we could receive.”

“The Lester K. Smith Endowed Creative Art Scholarship will serve as a lasting symbol of his interest in and support of the arts,” adds Adrian Tio, director of the School of Art. “His gift will endow a visual legacy that will live on through the creative efforts of those students who see their dreams come true with this generous contribution.”

But for Smith, leaving his estate to the university is simply characteristic of his love of helping people.

“Students come to librarians with a particular goal in mind – writing a paper, perhaps – and the librarian finds the material they need. We give all kinds of advice, such as how to focus attention on the subject,” he says. “It is our knowledge of what is available that helps the students determine what they most need.”

Smith came to NIU in 1973 as associate director of Founders Memorial Library, initially tackling administrative duties as a liaison between the university and the architects designing the new facility.

He then became – appropriately – the art librarian before taking over the humanities department, which included art, languages, literature and theater.

After his retirement in 1989, he began volunteering as a literacy tutor for adults through Kishwaukee Community College, stopping after a decade only because arthritis began to hamper his mobility.

The early retirement years also provided ample opportunity for travel to such places as Brazil, Egypt, Turkey and all over Europe. “Whenever I travel, I seek out the art museums,” he says. “Italy, as they say, is one big art museum. I’ve been there four times.”

As a self-proclaimed connoisseur of the fine arts – “I have a keen interest in classical music. I took two stabs at learning how to play the piano, but I never had the discipline to practice enough. A friend acted as a mentor for my listening to classical music, and introduced me to composers I wasn’t familiar with,” he says – Smith has one wish for the students who benefit from his estate.

“Creativity,” he says. “I want them to get the most out of their experiences here.”

5-17-04