
Louis Smith, EE’66, president of AlliedSignal Inc., gave the commencement address to the graduating class in the spring 1993. The forerunner dared students to step up to leadership opportunities and accept the challenge.
He recalled, when a young engineer for AlliedSignal, his friends were talking about their goals and, when asked, Smith said that he wanted to be president of the division.
“My friends laughed at me and said ‘there is no way an African American will ever be president of this place,’” says Smith. “I still see some of those people and many still have the same job they had then — they saw themselves as limited.”
Smith’s advice for the 1993 class was to set high standards, capitalize on opportunities, focus on customers, reward teamwork, continuously improve and give back more than you receive.
Share This Story
Spark a Memory?
Share your story! Fill out the form below to share your fondest memory or anecdote of S&T. If you'd prefer not typing, you can also share by phone at 833-646-3715 (833-Miner150).
Paula Lutz: leading on a male-dominated campus
Paula Lutz, who earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry with a life science preference from UMR in 1976...
Camille (Anderson) and Mark Herrera
Camille (Anderson) and Mark Herrera met in February 2007 after a mutual friend arranged for a double date at Alex’s…
Keith and Bobbie (Smith) Wedge
Keith Wedge met his future wife, Bobbie (Smith), in November 1967 while he was helping establish a chapter of Pi…
Remmers series: the talk of the town
A professor once called Walter Remmers, MetE’23, MS MetE’24, “the laziest man in school.” And Remmers owned up to it….
Jack Carney on the 2008 name change
John F. “Jack” Carney, who served as chancellor at S&T between 2005 and 2011, explains his reasons for...
Titanoboa – reptile king of the prehistoric rainforest
Sixty million years ago in the steamy prehistoric forests of what is now Colombia, there slithered a 50-foot, 2,500-pound reptile….