Gift of Land Opens Up a World of Opportunities

Olive Smith passed down a love for learning to many students.

It was a small community, small school and small class, but a big-hearted, innovative teacher captured the minds and respect of all her students and prepared them — the old-fashioned way — for life.

Retired DuPont physicist and astronomy professor Farren Smith (BS '54) says that teacher, the one graduates would travel many miles to visit, was his mother, Olive Smith.

"Former students would drop by just to reminisce," Farren says. "Others wrote letters … Some would be from recent students but some were just as likely to be from students she taught many years ago."

At the two-room Oak-Griner Farm School on U.S. Highway 301 between Ocala and Micanopy, Florida, Farren says he grew to appreciate and adopt his mother's love for learning. He also grasped the importance of the relationship between a student and teacher.

That is why Farren and his wife, Lynn, chose to donate some inherited land to UF to fund Machen Florida Opportunity Scholarships for College of Liberal Arts and Sciences students. The process was easy, since UF's team of gift planners handled almost every detail from start to finish.

The Smiths, who now live in Camden, South Carolina, say they want to ensure current students from modest backgrounds have an opportunity to connect with teachers the way his classmates and many former students connected with Smith's mother.

Opportunity Scholars have more than modest backgrounds, however. These Floridians, who are the first in their families to attend college, come from homes with an average annual income of $18,200. Yet, they are at the top of their high school classes, academically.

Although UF has many more freshmen applicants who qualify, the university can only extend this four-year scholarship to 1,200 students. Even still, the ripple effect from the 1,596 who've already graduated since the program began is immensely positive. It has raised their families out of poverty, created healthier communities and a stronger workforce, and nurtured leadership skills students carry forward.

In an open letter about his childhood memories, Farren recalled numerous students who carried his mother's lessons throughout their careers.

"She made a great impact on all students and I am able to honor her by continuing her legacy," he says.

Support Student Success at UF
Contact UF's Office of Estate & Gift Planning at 352-392-5512, toll free at 866-317-4143 or visit our website to discover how your generosity can make a lasting impact for students.