alumni news
Larry Smith, BSBA ’65, who passed away October 15, 2024, enjoyed tremendous professional success over the course of his 82 years. With his brother, Michael, BSBA ’61, he built one of the country’s largest and most successful roadside assistance companies. The first members of their family to graduate from college, the Smiths launched their multimillion-dollar business with just “$200 and a typewriter.”
But the achievement that gave Larry Smith the greatest pride and deepest joy was his family: his late wife, Elaine, to whom he was married for more than 50 years, and their three daughters and seven grandchildren.
The love they all shared was evident when many members of the family returned to Suffolk in 2023 for the dedication of Smith Commons in Sargent Hall, in honor of both Larry and Michael. Surrounded by family and friends, Larry wore his familiar wide smile as he talked with the throngs of students eager to say hello and thank him.
To Larry, Suffolk was a second family—and for close to six decades, he found countless ways to give back to the community that helped shape him. Together with Michael, he touched every corner of campus with his philanthropy (he was a Summa Society President’s Circle donor), his counsel as a member of the Board of Trustees, and his commitment to Suffolk students.
“Larry and Michael understood the transformative power of a Suffolk education,” says President Marisa Kelly, “because they had lived it themselves. They wanted to make sure that other hard-working students have the same kind of opportunities they did.”
To that end, the Smith brothers became among the most generous donors in Suffolk history, endowing scholarships, investing in the University’s infrastructure, and transforming the Athletics program with their support for expanded facilities and six new intercollegiate teams. In addition to Smith Commons, the Smith name now rightfully adorns a 400-student residence hall, the Samia dining hall, and both the fitness center and basketball court in the Ridgeway Athletic Complex.
That legacy is a powerful one, but just as significant was the genuine warmth and interest that Larry Smith brought to every encounter, whether he was discussing University governance with a fellow trustee or the finer points of a layup shot with members of the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
“Larry often attributed his success in life to Suffolk,” says Kelly, “yet it’s clear that Suffolk is a better place because of Larry Smith.”
Return to Table of Contents
spring 2025
Photograph by Michael J. Clarke
By Kara Baskin
