Jonathan C. Smith, St. Louis University’s inaugural vice president for diversity and community engagement, died suddenly on June 19 at 61 following a stroke.
At his memorial at Chaifetz Arena, SLU’s president Fred P. Pestello announced plans to rename the amphitheater near the school’s iconic clock tower in Smith’s memory.
“It’s a special place on our campus where our community tends to go when it needs to process something, when it needs to pray, when it needs to mourn,” Pestello said at the time. “And that’s where you’d find Jonathan.”
At Monday’s rededication ceremony, a plaque bearing an image of Smith and an inscription in his honor was unveiled. Several of those who loved Smith spoke at the event and recalled his importance to the school and the greater St. Louis community.
“This particular place where we stand on campus meant so much to him,” Smith’s wife, Rochelle Smith, said at the event. “It was his North Star and a physical reminder of his mission. Here, in this amphitheater that is so graciously dedicated to him today, may students find rest and restoration. May you find courage to go on, and go out, and reach across the lines that attempt to divide us.”
“Jonathan was comfortable here [the ampitheater]. Jonathan was listened to here. Jonathan helped us process here,” Pestello said. “This is the place where we process social justice. This space is well-known in this community and among our alumni, and this is the space where Jonathan could be found on any of those critical moments.”
In 2014, the killings of Michael Brown Jr. and VonDerrit Meyers led to student protests on campus, culminating in a group who camped out at the school’s clock tower. Smith stood in solidarity with student protesters and served as a bridge between them and its administration. This eventually led the university to adopt the Clock Tower Accords— a list of 13 diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments.
Now, the physical space where those conversations happened bears Smith’s name.
After the Derek Chauvin verdict, Smith was once again found in the amphitheater, helping students process what it meant for them.
“Jonathan was comfortable here. Jonathan was listened to here. Jonathan helped us process here,” Pestello said. “This is the place where we process social justice. This space is well-known in this community and among our alumni, and this is the space where Jonathan could be found on any of those critical moments.”
Along with the plaque dedicating the space in Smith’s memory, new outdoor outlets and seating areas have been added to the amphitheater to create new spaces for students to interact and collaborate.
Tina “Sweet-T” Pihl presented the Smith family with a resolution marking recognition from the city at the rededication ceremony. Part of SLU sits in Pihl’s ward, the 17th. She worked with Smith in the past.
“I remember…you didn’t need to call him doctor,” Pihl said. “He said, ‘Call me Jonathan.’ He talked to the custodian and the CEO, and everybody was the same. Everybody was equal.”