Terry  Smith '68 spent 12 formative years at Sacred Heart School. He served as an altar server, participated in music and athletics, and still recalls being chosen by Sister Marie to play Tom Sawyer in Life on the Mississippi as a favorite memory. It was here that the habits of hard work, responsibility, and faith first took root.

Those early lessons carried into a 45-year career in accounting, which began at just 16, working alongside his father. 

Though life eventually took Terry and his wife Elaine to Arizona, Sacred Heart never left him. Years later, reflecting on the education and values he received, Terry felt called to reconnect and to give back in a meaningful way.

“We realize how hard teachers and staff work at a small school like Sacred Heart,” said Terry. “It was important to us that we do something with our gift to let them know that they are valued and appreciated.”

In addition to the Faculty and Staff Endowment, the Smiths also established the Terry and Elaine Smith Legacy Endowment, which will provide, in perpetuity, need-based SHS tuition scholarships.

“It’s an honor to give back to a community that has meant so much in my life,” said Terry. “A lot of us have done well thanks to the education we received at Sacred Heart, and I hope my story encourages others to do the same.”