As his wife lay dying, Abraham Owen Smoot was compelled to tell her that they had no inheritance to pass on to their children.
The first president of Brigham Young University's Board of Trustees and former mayor of Salt Lake City, Smoot mortgaged everything he owned in order to keep the fledgling school alive. At his death in 1895, Smoot was heavily in debt for endorsing loans made to support the academy.This week, many of Smoot's more than 3,000 descendants will gather at BYU to remember their ancestor and to recognize Abraham and his family for what they did pass on, a legacy of honor.
The Smoot family organization has donated a display case in the A.O. Smoot Building. At a 10 a.m. ceremony Tuesday, Oct. 25, President Rex E. Lee and representatives of the Smoot family will unveil the display, which will include A.O. Smoot's portrait, memorabilia from his time period, and aspects of his life history.
L. Douglas Smoot, dean of engineering and technology and president of the A.O. Smoot family organization, said the display will also feature a newly published book on A.O. Smoot's life.
Abraham Owen Smoot will be the focus of attention throughout Homecoming Week, which will begin with opening ceremonies at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Marriott Center. Margaret Smoot, assistant advancement vice president at BYU and a great-great-granddaughter, will speak.
The Founders Day Luncheon, at noon in the Wilkinson Center Memorial Lounge, will likely have a tone quite different from the Founders Day Celebration of 1892, where the closing song was "The Sinking Ship."