Smith to be Honored with Sewanee Medal at Advent Convocation
Aug. 28, 2025
The University's 2025 Advent Convocation will take place at 4:30 p.m. CDT on Friday, Sept. 12, in All Saints’ Chapel. During the service, new members of the Order of the Gown will be inducted, and student recipients of awards and prizes will be announced. In addition, Gerald Smith, professor emeritus of religion, will be awarded the Sewanee Medal in recognition of his service to the University over four decades. Smith will also deliver the Convocation address.
Established in 2022 by the Board of Regents, the Sewanee Medal is awarded in recognition of rare and extraordinary service to the University of the South. The first Sewanee Medal recipient was Reid Funston, Jr., C’86, who served as chair of the Board of Regents during a critical period for the University that included both leadership transitions and unprecedented adaptations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith will be the second recipient of the award.
Smith has dedicated his life to scholarship, service, and leadership within the Sewanee community. A graduate of the University of Richmond (B.A., English) and Duke University (B.D., Ph.D.), he served on the University of the South’s Religion Department faculty from 1969 to 2016. In addition to his academic work, Smith was University marshal (1989–2016) and secretary of the Board of Trustees (1980–2021), roles that reflect his deep institutional commitment. He also served as chief of emergency services for the Sewanee Volunteer Fire Department beginning in 1977, and continues to contribute as co-editor with Sam Williamson through the Sewanee Sesquicentennial History Project. A respected writer, his work has appeared in the Sewanee Review and other publications.
