Smith calls his 31 years in extension the best years of his life. His career, combined with judicious investments, also provided him with enough savings that he can make charitable donations—a development that caught him by surprise.

“When I look back, I really am amazed at my net worth and how I did it,” Smith says. “When I took my job with extension, I started to make a few more dollars. I wasn’t married so I started to put every nickel I earned into buying stocks and CDs. I was fortunate because dollars multiplied much faster than I thought. Not sure I can explain it except to say that my wife and I made good investments, we both were thrifty, and it just kind of materialized. Now I have money to give, and Penn State always was my first choice.”

Smith Professor Gary Perdew is a respected scholar conducting research into how chemicals in the environment can affect human health. He is recognized internationally for his studies on the function and molecular dynamics of the cellular receptor for aromatic hydrocarbons (Ah). His research is aimed at determining how environmental pollutants, especially dioxins, react with the Ah receptor to cause alterations in gene expression and lead to diseases such as cancer.

Perdew says Smith’s generosity has provided vital support for his work. “The Smith Professorship has allowed me to start a high-impact, long-term project that would be otherwise difficult to get funding for without having first developed a transgenic mouse that exexpresses the human Ah receptor,” he says. The funds enabled him to hire Jennifer Schroeder, a postdoctoral fellow who helped to develop a mouse line that expresses the human form of the Ah receptor, which responds to much of the environmental exposure to dioxin or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (e.g., from smoking or burning of fossil fuels).

“She is an excellent scientist,” he says. “Now that a transgenic mouse has been developed, we can seek outside funding for an expanded project using it. The human form of this receptor appears appears to be quite different from the mouse form, so this modified mouse will be important for understanding the risks of dioxin exposure in humans. This project would not be possible without support from this professorship.”

For his part, Smith is just glad that he’s in a position to give back in a way that’s making a real difference. “It’s been a pleasure to be able to give money to some charitable things that are important,” he says. “We have no children, and life has been very generous to me. So, showing my appreciation through education at Penn State is the best thing I can do to help.”

—Gary Abdullah