One for the Books (and the People Who Use Them)

Stewart Smith’s love of libraries started with fish, not books. As a boy, he used to sneak onto the grounds of the Huntington Library in San Marino, California, to fish in their pond. But as he grew, so did his passion for the library itself. Stewart currently serves on Duke’s Library Advisory Board and, last year, he and his wife, Robin Ferracone T’75, made a $500,000 gift, which will be used to get the library closer to its highest priority: completing the renovation to Perkins Library begun in 2003.

Also a Duke parent of two sons, Stewart is confident that students will appreciate the completed library. Although Logan graduated in 2005 before most renovations were finished, Connor, who will complete his degree in 2012, is able to enjoy the benefits of the new Bostock Library, von der Heyden Pavilion, and the Link, a state-of-the-art teaching and learning center in the former Perkins basement. “The transformation in just a few short years has been remarkable,” Stewart says. “The library is a tremendous resource for the entire Duke community, and I’m glad that I can help support the renovations and expansion that will make it even better.”