In the past few days Dartmouth alumnus Stephen Smith ('88) has announced his candidacy for the trustee position that will be filled next spring. Steve's Web site is here, with pages devoted to his story, his biography, and his positions on the issues facing the college. Steve's immediate task is to collect five hundred signed petitions supporting his candidacy by Feb. 1 (see his petition page here). Please consider printing out the petition form available on his site, signing it on his behalf and sending it in as soon as possible.

I met Steve a couple of weeks ago and was extremely impressed. He is a remakable man. I don't think I've ever met anyone quite like him. He is his own man. He would bring great strength of character and intellect to the Dartmouth board. Here is his story:

The path that took me to Hanover almost a quarter of a century ago was anything but ordinary. I grew up in the inner city of Washington, D.C. My mother, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, raised my three siblings and me on her own, relying on public assistance. A black kid growing up on welfare in a broken home—my future, any sociologist would have told you, wouldn’t have included an Ivy League degree or a tenured position at a Top Ten law school.

My mother, however, refused to tolerate self-pity. “You’re a welfare recipient,” she would tell me, “but be the best anyway.” Throughout my youth, my mother repeated that lesson, insisting that I remain in school, taking my education seriously. Be the best. Because I worked hard—and listened to my mother instead of accepting the low expectations of my environment—I had many fine options for college. I chose the best. I chose Dartmouth.

When I learned that I couldn’t use my ROTC scholarship at Dartmouth, I was inclined to attend a different institution so that I could graduate free of debt. Then the Admitted Minority Student Overnight Program offered to pay my airfare to Hanover. The trip was my first to Dartmouth—and only the second time I had ever set foot on a college campus. When I got home, I knew. I had to go to Dartmouth. I had fallen in love with the College.

During my four years in Hanover, my love of Dartmouth grew still deeper. Studying History and Philosophy, my majors; playing freshman football and, for a time, basketball; making friends at my freshman dorm, Richardson Hall, and my fraternity, Sigma Nu: These experiences enabled a shy sixteen year old black kid from a poor neighborhood to acquire a trained mind, self-confidence, and friendships that endure to this day.

Since graduating from the College, I have clerked at the United States Supreme Court, practiced law at leading firms in Washington, D.C., and become a full professor of law at the University of Virginia—all as my wife and I raised our five boys. All that I have achieved—all that I am—the College made possible.

Now I would like to repay my debt to Dartmouth.

We'll have more to say about the trustee election as it proceeds. In the meantime, I ask that you check out Steve's site and consider taking the action necessary to have his name placed on the ballot.

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