Established in 2016, the Mary Huggins and T. Bruce Smith, Sr. Endowed Scholarship in Education and Business honors the lives and values of two lifelong Hartsville residents who believed deeply in education, family, and community. Their five children created the scholarship to recognize the impact their parents had not only on their family but also on the town they called home.

Mary and Bruce Smith were married in 1936 and later founded the BoSmith Furniture Company, which served Hartsville for 65 years. Their work and their business were rooted in the belief that if you take care of your community, your community will take care of you. That same mindset shaped how they raised their children: Lynn Smith Gainey ‘59, Argent Smith Jacobs, Dr. Sara Smith Odom, T. Bruce Smith Jr., and Karl H. Smith.

Coker University has long been part of the Smith family story. Lynn graduated in 1959, Dorothy Tedder Smith, widow of T. Bruce Smith Jr., graduated in 1960, and Argent also attended Coker. Dr. Sara Smith Odom later returned to Coker as a faculty member and retired after many years of service to the University. Because of those connections, choosing Coker as the home for their parents’ legacy felt natural.

After Mary Smith passed away in 2016, the family came together to determine how they could honor her life in a meaningful way. Using funds she had left behind, they decided to establish an endowed scholarship at Coker. Each sibling is also committed to giving annually so the scholarship can continue to grow.

“Coker had always been central to our family,” Lynn shared. “We wanted to do something that would help students now and in the future.”

Mary Smith had once planned to attend college herself, but that opportunity ended when her father passed away just before she was set to enroll. Even so, she remained a strong advocate for education and made sure her children had the chance she did not. 

Bruce often told his children, “What you have in your mind can never be taken from you.” For him, education was the most significant investment a person could make.

The Smith family’s support of Coker went beyond their own experience as students. For many years, BoSmith Furniture helped generations of Coker students furnish their residence halls. Mary and Bruce believed that Hartsville's status as a college town mattered, and they supported Coker in both quiet and practical ways.

Today, the Smith Family Endowed Scholarship continues that legacy through students like Sarah Tyner, an Early Childhood and Elementary Education major from Hartsville, South Carolina, who is set to graduate in May 2026. As a local student preparing for a career in teaching, Sarah reflects the heart of what this scholarship was created to support: students who want to learn, serve, and give back to their community.

For the Smith family, seeing their parents’ values carried forward by students like Sarah makes the scholarship meaningful.

When asked what Coker has meant to their family over the years, Lynn put it simply. “We love Coker. It has given our family so much. We would not be where we are today without it.”

To those considering starting a scholarship of their own, the family offers practical advice. You do not need everything figured out from the beginning. Start where you are, give what you can, and build from there. Over time, even small beginnings can grow into something that makes a real difference.

Through the Smith Family Endowed Scholarship, the belief in education that shaped Mary and Bruce Smith’s lives continues to support Coker students today.