Lucy Lindsey Smith Awarded Oglethorpe University's Spirit of Oglethorpe Award

ATLANTA, GA (05/17/2011)(readMedia)-- Oglethorpe University honored several of its outstanding alumni and faculty at its 2011 Alumni Weekend annual gala awards ceremony. Atlanta's Lucy Lindsey Smith, a 1959 graduate of Oglethorpe University, was presented with the Spirit of Oglethorpe Award. The Award is given to a graduate who lives by the Oglethorpe motto "Make a life. Make a living. Make a difference," demonstrating the attributes of a liberal arts education by exhibiting creativity, purposefulness and a commitment to improving the quality of his or her community.

Smith was a devoted Atlanta science and math teacher for years, teaching seventh and ninth-graders the sciences on television as a member of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters and American Women in Television and Radio. A life member of National Science Teachers Association, Smith served on the National Board of National Science Supervisors Association and was president of the Georgia Science Teachers Association.

After retiring from teaching, she helped found the Assistance League of Atlanta in 1982, a nonprofit organization that serves Atlanta's homeless and indigent, and provides academic scholarships to four Georgia colleges including Oglethorpe. Smith still averages 40 volunteer hours each month after 28 years of service.

Oglethorpe University was founded in 1835 and enrolls 1,100 students representing 34 states and 28 countries. Oglethorpe is a member of the Annapolis Group, an organization of America's most selective liberal arts institutions. For four consecutive years, Oglethorpe has been named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for commitment to and achievement in community service. In 2010, Oglethorpe was named among U.S. News & World Report's Best Liberal Arts Colleges and Forbes' America's Best Colleges. Princeton Review named Oglethorpe a Best Southeastern College, ranking it in national top-20 lists: Professors Get High Marks (#17), Classroom Discussion Encouraged (#14), Lots of Race/Class Interaction (#11), and Best College Theatre (#18). Georgia Shakespeare is the professional theater-in-residence at Oglethorpe. OU competes in the NCAA Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. Website: www.oglethorpe.edu