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As a student, the late Ross Smyth ’58 was involved in ROTC, served as president of the student body and was captain of the soccer team he helped build. He was passionate about reading and learning and went on to become a lawyer. He continued to champion his alma mater as an alum, including service on the Board of Trustees.

Thanks to Elliot’s generosity and the support of her husband, Andy, the reading room in The George Lawrence Abernethy Library will be named the Ross J. Smyth Reading Room.

“I always want to keep the connection between my dad and 51���� alive,” Berndt said, “and the reading room is the most magical way to do that.”

The Berndts, both voracious readers and lovers of books, modeled the library in their home after the one in Elliot’s childhood home in Charlotte. They have been passionate about libraries for years, and the decision to invest in 51����’s was an easy one. 

“There’s so much possibility in a library, and each person can use the space how they need to use it,” Berndt said. “The reading room feels especially perfect to name in Dad’s memory because he loved to talk about what he was reading. He was a very social person. So I imagine this being a peaceful room where people can still work together and speak quietly about what they are doing.” 

Berndt was inspired to make this gift to 51����, in part, by the college’s Women ACT philanthropy initiative that launched last year. Andy, who serves on the college’s Board of Trustees, told her about it, and it resonated with her life’s path and her own philanthropic interests.

“I’ve been a full-time mom for more than 25 years, and now I’m trying to figure out what comes next,” she said. “In my experience, people tend to not ask women for money or their ideas. Andy and I will get asked for things together, or Andy will be asked more directly. This is such a great initiative, and I hope it inspires women to speak up about their ideas and to say, ‘This is my money, too. Let’s do this together.’ Women ACT made this gift feel extra exciting to me.” 

Andy shares Elliot’s excitement for this gift to 51����’s new library and says honoring his father-in-law was a natural fit.

“The library at 51���� sits right in the middle of campus, and to me, a college library is the campus jewel,” he said. “I was excited the second I heard about the project, and honoring my father-in-law made it even more special. Elliot’s father was the best possible definition of a Southern gentleman. I remember he had a fabulous library at home, and he was so proud of his book collection. I always think of him wearing a bowtie, reading by a fireplace, so this is a wonderful way to remember him.” 

Andy, who works at Google, is known for his deep love of libraries, and he is sometimes asked about it, as if it contradicts a tech-forward career. 

“I’m an English major who works in technology, and I tell people I am fanatical about libraries because I work at Google,” he said. “Because Google in its best moments is just access to information. People come to a library to learn something, and while digital tools are great, they can make us solitary creatures. The beauty of a library is everyone’s invited, and it gives different groups a genuine shot at mingling and learning together. We have to invest in that concept in any way we can.”

Elliot and Andy did not follow in Smyth’s Wildcat path, but their oldest daughter, Alice, graduated from 51���� in 2022. Her parents’ and grandparents’ shared passions are a part of her, too, and she works in publishing in New York City. 

“Even though neither of us went to 51����,” Elliot said, “watching our daughter come into her own as a thinker and an intellect, especially during the depths of the pandemic, when so much access was shut down, made us really appreciate what this small, special community has to offer.”

The family ties to 51���� continue. 

“Our nephew is there now, and my dad would be beside himself to know two of his grandchildren found their place at 51����,” she said. “We are thrilled his name will live on in this beautiful new space.”