Oklahoma State University alumnus Lieu Smith has committed $1 million to establish an endowed scholarship supporting graduates of Okeene High School pursuing an education at Oklahoma State University.

The Lieu Smith Endowed Scholarship Fund will create lasting opportunities for students from the northwest Oklahoma community that helped shape Smith's life and career. 

A native of Okeene, Smith earned bachelor's degrees in agricultural and biosystems engineering in 1954 and a master's degree in civil engineering in 1957 from OSU. His education led to a distinguished engineering career that included serving as vice president of advanced technology projects and head of the industrial division at Sverdrup Corp., where his work contributed to projects supporting the nation's space program.

"OSU provided me with the engineering skills to work in a whole new arena and become an integral part of the space program," Smith said.

While his career took him far beyond Oklahoma, Smith never forgot the community that helped launch his journey.

"Okeene is a small, compact community that provided the nurturing spirit and support that molded me into what I have become," Smith said. "I now hope to help do the same for other young Okeene students."

The scholarship reflects Smith's belief in the transformative power of education and his desire to help future generations pursue opportunities that may otherwise feel out of reach. 

"My OSU education and subsequent experience provided me with financial rewards that I consider to be a special blessing from God, which motivates me to return a portion of those blessings to help others," Smith said.

The impact of Smith's generosity was celebrated during a recent gathering at Okeene High School, where the inaugural recipients of the scholarship were recognized alongside their families and community leaders.

The first recipients of the Lieu Smith Scholarship are:

• Benjamin Cheap, applied exercise science, College of Education and Human Sciences
• Avery Fisher, agricultural education, Ferguson College of Agriculture
• Brayson Roberts, biosystems engineering, College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology
• William Woolley, secondary education, College of Education and Human Sciences

Mike Jenkins, superintendent of Okeene Public Schools, said the scholarship will help students see new possibilities for their futures.

"This scholarship will allow every student who might feel they lack the financial means to attend Oklahoma State University to now have that opportunity placed in front of them," Jenkins said. "It will motivate them to set their goals higher, work harder in the classroom and believe that what they imagined was only a dream can now become a reality."

Fisher said the scholarship will help her pursue her goals and one day give back through her own profession.

"This scholarship will help me pursue my degree in agricultural education and, ultimately, give back by educating the next generation of agriculturists," Fisher said. "I hope to prepare students to become the people who will feed, clothe, support and advocate for the agricultural way of life." 

For Smith, the scholarship is about more than financial support. It is an investment in students, in opportunity and in the community that shaped him.

"I hope others will look at my legacy and say to themselves, 'If that old Oklahoma farm boy can do this, I can too,'" Smith said.

Through the Lieu Smith Endowed Scholarship Fund, Smith's legacy will continue opening doors for Okeene students for generations to come.