Betty Smith

Professor Emeritus Dr. Betty Smith joined the University of Maryland in 1970 as chair of the former Department of Textiles and Consumer Economics. Breaking gender barriers, she was UMD’s first woman to serve as faculty athletic representative in the Atlantic Coast Conference and did so for 11 years. In 2016 Smith donated her College Park home, retaining the right to live there for the remainder of her life. Later, the decision to relocate to South Carolina resulted in Smith relinquishing her life interest in the home, thereby accelerating the gift to UMD. Smith was able to take advantage of significant tax deductions, and the home sale proceeds will augment her endowment to provide scholarships for women’s golf in perpetuity.