In Loving Memory of Dr. Margaret Smith
Beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, physician.
She was magnificent; a super-sized soul in a size-small body who lit up absolutely everything she touched.
She loved deeply and gave generously, filling the world with life and beauty.
Words cannot express how much she will be missed. Please join her family in celebrating her extraordinary life:
There will be two separate funerals. One for Maggie and one for Michael and Theresa, her step-son and daughter-in-law who died with her in the plane crash.
Maggie’s Services
Friday Evening Prayer Vigil Service
5 PM – 8 PM, Friday, July 9, 2010
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church
46 W 16th Street, NY and NY 10011 (between 5th and 6th Ave)
Saturday Funeral Mass
3 PM, Saturday, July 10, 2010
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church
Reception at Arturo Hall at Xavier to follow immediately
Donations: Arthritis Foundation or Medicine Sans Frontiers. Please note on your donation that it is in memory of Margaret D. Smith, M.D. along with your name and address and the Ferguson and Smith families will be notified of your donation.
Michael and Theresa’s Service
Monday Funeral Mass
2 PM, Monday, July 12, 2010
The Church of St. Paul the Apostle
60th St. and Columbus Ave, New York, NY
Memorial Gathering to follow at the Princeton Club (15 W 43rd St., between 5 and 6th Ave)
Donations: Fresh Air Fund Please note on your donation that it is in memory of Michael & Theresa along with your name and address and the Ferguson and Renz families will be notified of your donation.
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.
{ 56 comments… read them below or add one }
To know her was to love her, to respect her, to be in awe of her. It is with a profound sense of personal and professional loss that Ioffer my most heartfelt condolences. What can be said of this incredible woman and physician. Her boundless energy was always directed at helping those around her–patients, residents, students, colleagues, family. Traveling with her on pilgrimage to Lourdes on two occasions afforded me the perquisite of getting to know her away from the hustle and bustle of the hospital. Always the calm within the storm, she stood as a beacon of sanity, calmness and stability. I cannot imagine anyone more worthy of the title of teacher at St. Vincent’s. She epitomized the spirit of Sr. Loretta Bernard who wrote: “ As one lamp lights another, nor grows less so–nobleness enkindleth nobleness’. On July 5th, Earth grew less, and heaven more. Thank you , Maggie, for making our world and our profession more noble and more human. Please watch over us from your place in Heaven.
The Sisters of Charity have been blessed by Maggie’s spirit, her commitment to the mission of charity and her presence and compassion for all who came across her path. When Maggie smiled she radiated joy and her eyes spoke of a great heart that dwelled in her petite body. Our prayers are with Matthew, her family and colleagues . She embraced us all with her goodness and we depend on her spirit to continue in our hearts .
I ,especially, thank you, Maggie for all you did to place our residents and interns as Saint Vincent’ closed. You insured that their training continued.
For all the Sisters of Charity who shared the mission of Saint Vincent’s with you, know that you will be remembered in our hearts and prayers
I did not have the pleasure of meeting her. I truely wish I would have been able to meet her and have such a wonderful person from what I have been told be part of my life. My thoughts and prayers are with you all. Please know she is looking down on you and knows how much she meant to everyone!
Todd, I am crushed. I saw you last week and you were so happy – taking pictures and enjoying the beautiful summer season.
Now, your life has changed in the blink of an eye. My heart aches, but I know where your mom and family are. They are among us, in the fresh new green leaves that grow on the trees, in the coating of dew on the grass in the morning – blowing around like the wind caressing our skin.
Mom’s are saints – they are pure love.
I am so sorry yours was taken away so soon.
Hugs from Tom and Rose.
Reluctance
Out through the fields and the woods
And over the walls I have wended;
I have climbed the hills of view
And looked at the world, and descended;
I have come by the highway home,
And lo, it is ended.
The leaves are all dead on the ground,
Save those that the oak is keeping
To ravel them one by one
And let them go scraping and creeping
Out over the crusted snow,
When others are sleeping.
And the dead leaves lie huddled and still,
No longer blown hither and thither;
The last lone aster is gone;
The flowers of the witch-hazel wither;
The heart is still aching to seek,
But the feet question ‘Whither?’
Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?
I did not have the pleasure of working directly with Dr. Smith, but I did have the pleasure of riding in the Nurses’ Residence elevator with her every now and then. She always entered with a welcoming smile and a greeting for all. Whenever I would go up to visit her supervisors she took the time to greet you and ask how you were doing. It’s amazing how someone can touch you in the smallest of ways. She will be missed. My prayers are with her family, friends, nad colleagues. God Bless.
I never knew your Mother and I have not met you, but I did spend time with you Father at the Lexington Peace Palace and have enjoyed seeing all your work through Blaine. I have one of your wonderful photos on a card Blaine sent me up on my wall . I am deeply moved by the verse posted on the site. It seems at this time in our lives we are seeing the passing of this generation that has given us so much. We can only celebrate their gifts through our achievements in our life. All blessings to you. TSpencer
Oh Todd, my heart, prayers, and tears go out to you.
“No act of Love, however small, is ever wasted.” Aesop
Sounds like she spread a lot of love both near and far.
No words of mine can mean much now. Your loss is far too great and much too close.But in behalf of our Dominican Community at Providence College, I do want to make known to you, and to all in your family, our deepest sympathy. In the praying we are doing you are with us – and the Lord is with you…especially now. At a time such as this, little anyone says makes much sense. But it is my hope that the consoling words of a gifted Trappist monk might help you. Thomas Merton wrote that death is where the hills end…and the stars begin. The “hills” of Michael, and Theresa and Margaret are over now. It’s their time to be with the “stars” and their Source forever. It’s my hope and I pray that the deep, inner peace that thought can bring, will be with you and your family…especially now. May Mary, the temple in whom God’s Son became a priest, keep you near, in her care.
With His Love and all mine,
Fr. John Peterson, O.P.
Providence College Alumni/ae
Chaplain
I just had dinner with her two weeks ago. That night, I left her a card that stated what a formidable woman I thought she was. Not the first time I told her this. She was an inspiration to those around her. She always greeted you with a big smile in her face. I never met anyone so giving, dedicated, selfless, so in love with life, her family and her job. We have lost a very unique person and someone whose steps I want to follow. Lets celebrate her life and her spirit. God has truly taken one of his angels home.
Dear Todd,
I know some of your work through Blaine and your mother through this site. But when Blaine told us of her transition I felt deeply sad for your loss and for the loss of so many who knew her and gained so much from her presence here.
I also am happy that she is still with you all and with us in a larger way I am Thankful for Presence….Which she Brought and Continues to GIVE in an even Greater Larger View…Please be comforted that you had her and of course sad that you can no longer see her but as you make your pictures you capture her beauty in all of them…
With Thanks Giving..
all-is-on
I did not know her but she sounds like a special lady. I’m sure she will be missed by all. Sincerely, L.DeFeo @ SEA
I’ve had the pleasure and great fortune to know Dr. Smith since I was a third year medical student. She was the den mother to all who trained under her, opening her heart and home to us. At the residents’ party every year she’d stand at the top of the stairs, looking over her backyard full of young doctors and look so proud and so content to have us all there with her. Always the calm in a sometimes storm, she defined grace and light. It was into her arms that I collapsed sobbing as we volunteered together at a family center after 9/11. I am so, so sorry for Dr. Ferguson and the rest of the family for their loss. She loves you still and will surround you always.
We are all the poorer for her passing. What an extraordinary woman.
Charming, intelligent, kind, caring, and unstoppable. She dearly loved the hospital and her family and brought joy to all who met her. We will not see someone like her come this way again soon. She leaves an ache in all our hearts.
Doris Lederman
Former employee, St. Vincent’s Hospital
The Arthritis Foundation both at the New York Chapter and the National office will greatly miss the leadership that Maggie gave over the years.She was passionate about our mission and the positive impact that we could make on the lives of people with arthritis.She was a very compassionate and committed volunteer.We will miss her.
The New York Chpater of ACP was blessed to have Maggie as a leader. Her warmth, dedication, knowledge and faith were inspirational for all of us. We will miss her, and will remember that shy smile that won all of our hearts.
Though I didn’t know Maggie personally Todd, what I know of you tells me much about who she is. I know she must have touched the lives of so many in extraordinary ways and this comes through clearly in the written words from others. I join you in spirit in your celebration of her life, and send love and light to you and all who love her.
“I am not there; I did not die”
Love for strength & Light for clarity
I remember when Maggie asked me to write a letter recommending her for promotion several years ago, I was both honored and humbled. She had the resume that I could only dream about, having trained at such prestigious medical centers such as Johns Hopkins and UCSF. When she came to the Village she rapidly established herself in Rheumatology practice, and took care of difficult patients that many doctors shunned. I remember the Fibromyalgia support group she created. She was always creating or organizing something new. And at the same time she was a solid and caring physician. Coming from a lineage of physicians she represented the medical ideal, the Osler of the 20th & 21st century. I don’t know how many more medical giants the future generations will be able to produce. I seriously doubt that any will be comparable to Maggie Smith.
Dear Todd,
I am so deeply sorry for your loss.
I thank Blaine for letting me know.
Amarushaya
Sharon
As a former employee of the Department of Medicine I was blessed with the opportunity of having Dr. Smith as my boss. On my last day at the hospital, I waited until she left to attend the Residents Graduation before leaving. I sent her an email explaining that I was not good with goodbyes, but that she was one of the most hardest working and most extraoridinary woman I have even crossed paths with; and that I would hope to be like her one day! May she rest in peace.
The New York Special Interest Group of the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine wishes to extend our deepest Sympathy to the family of our beloved colleague, Maggie Smith.
Dr. Smith will be remembered as a gifted and dedicated medical educator who was truly devoted to training caring internists. We will never forget her extraordinary efforts in recent months to place her “orphan residents” as St. Vincent’s closed. Her generosity of spirit and joie de vivre were inspirational to all who worked with her. She will be profoundly missed.
As it became clear that St. Vincent’s would close and we would become orphans, Dr. Smith worked so fervently and selflessly to ensure each resident had a place to continue their education. So much fell onto her shoulders, yet she handled this tremendous responsibility with grace and poise. She was the quintessential role model for a physician-in-training and we will carry with us not only the medicine, but the compassion, kindness and humanity that she taught us. She cared so deeply for her residents and was invested in our personal and professional success. It is with a heavy heart that I express my deepest sympathy to Dr. Ferguson and his family, but I know that through those she positively impacted, her legacy will continue.
I am overwhelmed with the news of your brother Michael, his beautiful wife Theresa, and your stepmother Margaret.
Please know that you, your families and all those who hold them dear are in my thoughts and prayers.
With love,
Kim (Brennan)
HC ‘80
God Bless everyone in the family our prayers are with you all. Jesus has a great person with him now!!. We were on a lourdes trip with maggie in 2008. Mark and Liz.
I remember so clearly waiting for the Nurses’ Residence elevator on the 12th Floor at Saint Vincent’s with Dr. Smith on so many occasions (it was a very slow elevator!). We would chat and laugh and especially enjoyed the sight and sounds of the children playing on the roof at the school across 12th Street. It was such a magical sound that we both always commented on. She was my neighbor down the hall, and she meant so much to all of the contingency of former Saint Vincent residents, fellows, students, faculty and staff who now reside at Mount Sinai, each in a special way. Though I had not seen her in many years, just the sound of her name conjured up the memory of the smile that embraced you and her warm, kind heart that touched us all! She will be missed by so many and may we all celebrate the gift and beauty of her life!
Todd,
even though I did not have the blessing of meeting your mother, I adore and admire her because she has gifted me with YOU as a friend…
I can feel the magnitude of your mothers presence through you and this website, beautiful, unconditional, pure, filled to the BRIM with ever expanding LOVE and acceptance…
know that in each breath you take and picture you create, she is with you.
INFINITE LOVE to all who knew Maggie, Michael and Theresa.
namaste’
It was with such a heavy heart that I heard of the passing of Dr. Maggie Smith. I had the distinct privilege of working with Maggie for 5 years at St. Vincent’s. Maggie’s effervescent smile would light-up the room as soon as she entered. Her devotion and committment to the residents to ensure that they learned all aspects of what it took to be exceptional, caring, compassionate physicians was ever present…and of course that was all due to the devotion and committment she had to the patients who came to St. Vincent’s. My heartfelt condolences to Maggie’s family during this very sad, tragic time.
As President of the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine (APDIM) I want to express my profound sympathy to the family of Dr. Maggie Smith. Dr. Smith was a superb physician and educator of physicians. Her dedication and humility were exemplars to countless physicians both in training and in practice. Her sheparding of over 335 residents-in-training into other training programs when St. Vincent’s closed her doors was only the most recent of her remarkable contributions to the professional development of these young doctors. Maggie’s quiet and thoughtful manner made her an extremely effective advocate for medical education and for high quality patient care. For years she was a bright light in organized medicine and her memory will always be a bright light in the lives of practicing physicians, training physicians and students, and patients alike.
I am a former St. Vincent’s resident; I was fortunate enough to know and work with Dr. Smith for two years. I actually left St. Vincent’s two years ago when the Medicine-Pediatrics residency program closed, and I remember and appreciate all Dr. Smith did to help me find a new residency home. She was kind and compassionate as well as gifted and intelligent. It was with shock and sadness that I learned of her passing. I offer her friends and family my heartfelt condolences!
Let me express the condolences of the Lourdes Medical Team at Maggie’s death. She was a member of the Lourdes Pilgrimage Medical Team in 2008 and 2009. She was a lively member of the team and was one of the climbers to the Cross atop the hill overlooking the Domain. We shall miss her. Know you are in our prayers.
Tom Forlenza
Medical Director
Lourdes Medical Team
My family’s prayers are with yours at this difficult time. Love,
the Sippel Marks family.
OUR LOSS BUT GOD’S GAIN.
JACK POHRER
My Dear Sweet Friend Todd,
Oh my goodness I am so shocked and my heart hurts so much for you, in the loss of your mother, brother, and sister-in-law. I know there are no words that I can even think of to say to begin to ease your pain, even just a tiny bit. I just want you to know how deeply sorry I am. Also, please know how much love I am sending your way and that you and your family are in my prayers, and have my deepest, deepest sympathy. I read somewhere that “deep grief is mute”. That expression touched me when I was grieving for Bob.
All my love and hugs,
Suzanne
Todd, Sarah, Ann,
I am so sorry for your loss. Though it’s been years since I spent time with your mom (or you!), I do remember always being struck by her strength and poise. You were all clearly so blessed to have her in your life. It is lovely to see you and so many others celebrating her remarkable life! Continue to celebrate – I’m sure she is watching from above and will always be with you.
With love,
Heather Christy Mefford
Dr. Maggie Smith was a joy to work with and a pleasure to know. In her quiet and unassuming way she set a standard for professionalism that was an inspiration to her trainees and colleagues. I admired her remarkable composure during St. Vincent’s most difficult times. Her tragic death will be heartfelt by her many friends and family.
Words can’t express the depth of sorrow in the Community of St. Vincent’s over the loss of this unique and wonderful woman. Maggie was our friend, our colleague, our physician, our teacher and the core of what was most important to so many of us – our residency training programs. I had the privilege of working very closely with Maggie for the last decade. In happy times and also under the most adverse of conditions – and there were certainly plenty of those in the past few months – Maggie wore a smile. It was that ever-present smile – her perpetual optimism – that carried us through the closure of our residencies, and her hard work and energy that enabled our residents to enter new programs so their training could continue with as little interruption as possible. And now that this task is over, Maggie can rest in peace.
Our feelings of sympathy go to Matthew and the rest of Maggie’s family. Take comfort in knowing that Maggie touched the hearts of so many. We will surely miss her.
I wish to extend my heartfelt sympathy for all three family members who were lost in this tragedy. I had the good fortune to work with Dr. Smith at St. Vincent’s Hospital over the past 9 years and will sincerely miss her. I will be keeping her and her family in my thoughts and prayers.
The news of this fills me with sorrow. My heart and thoughts to her family and all the physicians whose lives and careers she has touched. Her caring and dedication have supported many of us through the challenges of residency. I think of her smile and caring heart, these will be with us always.
As a former Psychiatry resident, I only really interacted with Dr. Smith in my intern year, but I remember giving intern case presentation the first week on medical service and having Dr. Smith guide the discussion afterwards. Despite the fact that I never got to know her personally, I believe this memory attests to the fact that Dr. Smith’s full career touched many of us who her family will never really know: the thousands of physicians who trained under her in some way shape or form over the years. She will be missed and along with Saint Vincent’s in general, her passing is a tragic loss to the medical community as a whole.
Dr. Smith was an amazing presence during the seven years I worked at St. Vincent’s Hospital. She helped me launch the first St. Vincent’s NYC Marathon Team and was present at many of our fundraisers as well. She always came with an enormous smile and lots of support and kind words. My prayers and sincere condolences to her husband, family, friends, and colleagues.
Dear Todd and Sarah,
I am deeply saddened to learn of your loss. I wish you strength and peace in this difficult time.
Todd, Do something that will make your mom smile. Maybe even laugh. I hope that and your family feel her smile in your hearts.
I had the pleasure of meeting Maggie briefly while sitting next to her for a time on the plane home from Lourdes in 2009. She was showing me designs of airplanes on her computer. I was so impressed that she could be a doctor, have time for charitable work and still have such a love and appreciation for another field, flying. My wife and I are glad for the chance to have met her. She seemed like such a kind and gentle soul. I am sure she has touched so many lives and will be loved and missed dearly. God bless her and keep her.
I met Dr Smith my first year as a MedPeds resident at St Vincent’s. What a difficult year that was for me, starting residency in a new city…and shortly after beginning internship, I received my real induction into physician-hood when 9/11 occurred. I remember watching Dr Smith’s cool strength as she rapidly mobilized residents into action. I remember looking up to her, and wondering if I could ever learn to be so graceful under pressure.
I’ll never forget the conversation that I had with Dr Smith when I wanted to leave residency that year, and how she believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. It was really touching to me when she remembered this 4 years later, when I went into her office to ask for a letter of recommendation…and she told me how glad she was that I had stayed in the program, reminding me of how much had changed in me since that first year. She was generous with her kindness, and I wonder if she knew how much that meant to me. I am forever grateful.
Is it possible to miss someone you’ve never met?
I’ve been looking through teary eyes (and a broken heart for my friends, Sarah & Gar) at this beautiful website all day. Every picture, every note.. tells the incredible story of Maggie Smith. What an amazing woman! A Supermom (wife, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, colleague, etc, etc), accomplished physician, nurturing teacher, adventurer.. but most importantly – one of the world’s most generous, loving spirits who gave so selflessly and completely.
Thank you, Sarah, for sharing the stories (I’ll look forward to many more.. as will Lachlan & Will). To know you, is to know a piece of Maggie.. and for that, I am grateful.
Is it possible to miss someone you’ve never met? You bet.
Wishing everyone who knew & loved Maggie much peace, love & comfort…
I had the extreme good fortune to meet Dr. Smith twenty years ago when she sold me the highly treasured, beautiful home here in West Palm Beach at 276 Cordova Road that I have been so happy in. Even more precious to me was Hawkeye, the Calico cat that she let me adopt that was my precious companion for seventeen years. Dr. Smith and I knew each other a bit—-she came to the house for a homecooked meal when I was moved in and once more five or six years ago to see Hawkeye (renamed Ames after her Iowa origins). I always knew what a magnificent person this lady was and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t feel gratitude to have had our paths cross. My depest condolences to her family.
Charles Cochran
My thoughts have been of you on several occasions lately Todd, and little did I know it may have been because of the deep loss you were feeling because of your mother.
She sounds like an extraordinary woman, and her passing from this earth is enormous, but we carry on with faith that her loving spirit will forever surround you and everyone blessed to walk with her along her journey here.
With sympathy and prayers for you and your family,
So saddened by this news. Here in Newport News,VA, we all knew Maggie as Nan. And though it has been some years since she had left here, we remember her as just the person who has been described here over and over again. We all have been so fortunate to have had our lives graced by her friendship. Rarely in life do you encounter a person as good as she was. My husband Doug and I extend our deepest sympathy to Sarah, Todd and Ann, who were contemporaries of our son David Price when they were all Montessori Pre-School classmates, and to the entire family on the great loss of these three very special people.
Being an intern at the time of closure of St. Vincents I only knew Dr. Smith for one year. In that year I came to know her as a program director and a highly respected physician and yet none of those descriptions applied to my relationship with her nor any of the other interns or residents. In the walls of St. Vincents she was our surrogate mother and that was the relationship that every intern and resident had with her. Her smile was the face of St. Vincents hospital and it was her optimism and warm voice that kept us smiling and laughing through the turmoil of the closure. She worked to ensure not only that we be placed somewhere but at our place of choice. The effort and passion she put into helping us was not the effort of an employer, it was not the effort of even a friend. The heart behind all of her work and the results that followed could of only been done by someone who was family.
St. Vincents was not only a hospital but a piece of history in NYC. In July of 2010 St. Vincents lost its mother but its patron saint, Margaret Smith, will watch over all of us with her unforgettable smile.
It is so hard to pick one thing to say about Maggie. One memory I keep coming back to is a day several years ago when Sarah’s Gran was living with Maggie. I was over to see Sarah there one afternoon and had the pleasure of seeing 3 generations of Dennis’ all under one roof. I was struck by the warmth and energy of these 3 amazing women and how much they each adored and loved each other. That is such a special gift. Maggie lives on in all of her kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, etc… and each is lucky to have a piece of her soul and spirit within them. God Bless, Maggie. You will be missed!
Todd, Sarah and Ann….
My thoughts and prayers have been with each of you during this difficult time….
Your mom… Nan to me… was not only someone I adored as my friend, but as my mentor and whom I respected and loved very much…
I am grateful for my time spent with her… whether my trips to WPB, or my many surprise stops at 121 when visiting NYC…. I will cherish every memory of her and know I was one of the lucky one’s… that had been touched by her unconditional love, generosity, and her very presence….
I always knew that she kept her angel wings tucked under that lab coat of hers… and now find comfort that she is soaring high above and watching over each and every one of us with her amazing smile and gently reminding us to live life to the fullest…with no regrets….
“Angel of God, my guardian dear
To whom God’s love commits me here;
Ever this day be at my side,
To light and guard, to rule and guide.”
Much love to each of you…
Amanda Schertz
Dr Smith was an amazing physician but above that she was an amazing human being. I was lucky enough to be a resident growing under her watch and had the honor of working closely with her as a chief resident. I remember so many times in our weekly meetings when we would discuss the residents and the outrageous things some would do. I would act impulsively and get angry but she always displayed understanding, compassion and forgiveness that I have never seen. She would always see the good in people and give them all the second (or third!) chance she thought they all deserved. She would always be burried behind a stack of papers in her office that where always for other peoples future not her own personal gain. She was truly saintly in her work and I cant imagine how much more love she must have shown to her own family. I feel privileged to have known her. May you rest in eternal light. You will be sorely missed.
I cannot say that I knew Dr. Smith well – I had met her perhaps 3 or 4 times to have my FAA medical exam done. But in those few brief meetings I came to know that she was a special person, and oddly enough I looked forward to seeing her every two years for an exam that many pilots dread. Dr. Smith had a manner of quiet competence and compassion. She was generous in a way that is rare today – with her “presence”. When one spent time with her, there was never a question that she was focusing completely on you in that moment, even while doing something routine. My deepest condolences to her family and friends on the tragic loss of such a special person.
I was deeply saddened when I heard the news today of the tragic death of Dr. Smith. I not only had the honor to work with Dr. Smith over the course of 15 years as a social worker at St. Vincent’s but also experienced first hand, as a patient, her expertise and compassion as a physician.
When I was faced with a condition other physicians could not diagnose that left me unable to work for months, it was Dr. Smith who quickly diagnosed the problem and put me on the road to recovery. Her smile,support, and knowledge gave me the strength to make it through and get back on my feet. I am eternally grateful to her.
My prayers are with her family. She was an amazing woman. May she rest in peace.
Amen
I never got to know Dr. Margaret Smith, but I did know Nan Dennis. We were children together, and young teenagers in high school at Mount Mercy in Pittsburgh Pa. It was evident, not only to the nuns, but all the girls in our class, that Nan was special. She was so bright in every subject, we all knew she was destine to be someone who would make a difference in whatever career she chose. I lost personal contact with her after graduation, but from time to time would hear bits and pieces of her accomplishments . I am so pleased to learn of her greatest achievment, her personal life. It turned out to be rich and full , she was blessed with a close and loving family, friends,and students. I think it’s Nan who must be celebrating. She had it all.
From an Engineering standpoint, I served the various Medical/Surgical departments of SVH for many years. And yes, that is the main objective of any Engineering Department, however, there are some individuals that you just naturally, easily go over and above for. That type person was Dr. Margaret Smith. Whether it was an important conference or seminar in the auditorium, problems with machinery in an area she was working, or simply that it was too hot or too cold for her students in a particular room. I would find myself immediately responding to her call or request. Now I do admit that you would always have those in power that would force you to respond immediately by just a phone call to your superior, but that was never the way of Dr. Smith. It was just so easy and natural to deal with her, and a pleasure to get things right for her. Even her request messages were different. “Hi Bruce, this is Maggie Smith, could you please help me out with a problem I’m having. My extension is … Thank you Bruce.” She never demanded and was always grateful for anything you could do to help out in a given situation. Therefore it was easy to make sure that I did not leave her until things were working properly, not half way, but properly. You wanted her mind to be at ease, and to let her know that we have your back, just do your thing Dr. Smith. I never wanted her to be embarrassed or to make her part of St. Vincent’s look bad in the eyes of a prestigious colleague, visitor, or patient coming into the hospital. She didn’t have to tell you any of this, it just came so natural when dealing with Dr. Smith. I respected her because she respected everyone. She was so calm and down to earth when dealing with us that you just gravitated towards her and wanted to do whatever she needed. I will miss you Dr. Smith, and I’m sorry that I did not find out about this site until just today. So long for now, but I know our paths will cross on another day. Yours respectfully.