Graham Wood Smith, a senior trustee of the University of Rochester and member of the Class of '53, died May 28 in Buffalo at the age of 72.
Smith served as a voting trustee from 1991 to 2001, when he was elected senior trustee. A member of the Board of Trustees' Facilities Committee for nine years, he had a continuing interest in grounds and landscaping improvements on the River Campus. He and his wife, Mary Jane, conceived and funded Dandelion Square as a gift to the University's students, and were intimately involved in its planning. A major connecting pathway at the center of campus, the square was dedicated during the University's sesquicentennial year. Additionally, donations from Smith and his mother, Elizabeth Galloway Smith, funded improvements and maintenance of the lawns and flower beds on and near the Eastman Quadrangle.
"Graham Smith's helpful advice and careful attention to the way the campus looked resulted in improvements that have enhanced the environment for the entire University community," said Ronald J. Paprocki, senior vice president for administration and finance.
A graduate of the University of Virginia's law school, Smith was an attorney in Orchard Park, N.Y., and also served as the president of the George Graham Smith and Elizabeth Galloway Smith Foundation, Inc. He was not the only Rochester graduate in the family: His father, mother, two aunts, and an uncle also graduated from the University.
He has served on the boards of Shea's Performing Arts Center, Westminster, Inc., Buffalo Zoological Society, Community Music School, Buffalo Symphonette, Pythonga Fish & Game Club, Orchard Park Chamber of Commerce, Orchard Park Country Club, and Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Jane, a son, George Graham Smith III, and a daughter, Ellen S. Morehouse. A memorial service will be held at noon Tuesday, June 10, at the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church, 4369 South Buffalo St., Orchard Park, N.Y., with a reception afterward at the Orchard Park Country Club. Interment will be private.