The Helen M. Smith Scholarship

Criteria: ($100 per year) Students from the City of Worcester are given first preference for the Helen M. Smith Scholarship. The applicant should show evidence of scholarly achievement and personal integrity. The student applying for this award must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and demonstrate financial need.

Helen M. Smith was the first library director of Worcester State University. After joining the staff in 1949, Ms. Smith became a dedicated employee who enjoyed sharing her knowledge with students. Her special interest was children’s literature, and she devoted considerable time and effort towards helping the college develop a first-rate children’s library. A plaque in her honor hangs on a wall in the children’s library, where it was placed upon her retirement in 1982.

Ms. Smith was born in 1917 in Athol, Mass., where she graduated from the public high school before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and a bachelor’s degree in Library Science from Simmons College. She worked for a short time in several public libraries before coming to Worcester State.

Ms. Smith’s lifelong pursuit of knowledge led her to become an avid traveler. She toured Europe, Africa, South America, and Easter Island.

After her retirement, Ms. Smith went to live with relatives in eastern Connecticut. She demonstrated her enduring commitment to the students of Worcester State University by establishing this scholarship fund in her will.