Category: Scholarship 2021

Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith sacrificed their lives to support the Prophet Joseph and establish the restoration of the gospel. Without their support, the restoration would not have been possible. This legacy has been passed down through their descendants. The Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Association has established this Scholarship to share their legacy, strengthen today’s youth, and tie the younger generation to their ancestors. 

This year we had significant participation and strong entries sharing stories that creatively show how the Smith Family examples impacted them.

This year the judges chose two First Place winners.

Benjamin is currently living in Provo, Utah, and attending Brigham Young University.  He wrote a feature-length screenplay that chronicles Mary Fielding Smith’s immigration to Canada from England.

Benjamin states, “The story of Mary Fielding’s conversion to the gospel and of how she became the faithful mother of Joseph Sr. and Lucy Smith’s grandchildren is so inspiring that I could not overlook.”

David, from Chesterfield, New Hampshire, is a Junior at Keene High School. He plans on attending Brigham Young University.

David arranged two songs from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints hymnal, Praise to the Man and I Believe in Christ, and I have formed a medley arranged for a full orchestra. Complete sheet music and a recording was submitted.

David said, “The words and message of Praise to the Man pay tribute to the man and by extension his family, who was worthy enough to be the Lord’s primary instrument of the Restoration and the leader of the last dispensation. The message of I Believe in Christ is only made possible by the revelation brought through “the man who communed with Jehovah!” These two songs go together because one is the cause, and the other is the effect. Because Joseph Smith initiated the ongoing process of the Restoration, we can believe in Christ and know of all He has done for us.”

Sydney Smith is from Powell, Ohio. She is moving to Utah this fall and will be attending Brigham Young University. She produced a video titled, Sacrifice: The Legacy of My Fathers.

Sydney said, “I will do everything in my power to honor the legacy of my ancestors as their namesake. They sacrificed all in the name of God, and for that, I am very grateful. I hope to continue the tradition and be a strength in these difficult days. Now more than ever, people turn away from God, and it is my mission to be an example and light.”

Sunny is in 11th Grade at Pahranagat Valley High School. She is from Hiko, Nevada, and plans to attend the University of Utah. Her project titled, Continuing the Legacy came with a picture of a beautiful quilt she made and the written paper which explains how she is carrying on a family tradition. She quotes her grandma Geri who wrote, “A quilt is a lesson in patience and creativity.”

Sunny said, “I found more joy in making this quilt because it was harder work than I originally planned it to be, and I had to have a good attitude to finish it. Learning about how hard the Smith’s worked, despite their agricultural issues and pressing times, helps me honor their legacy of hard work, thriftiness, and education.”

She also is going above and beyond as she mentions, “I will be giving the quilt away to my neighbor who needs it. She has been sick for a long time and could use the same joy and comfort that making this quilt has brought me. Just like Lucy and Joseph Sr. taught, and my grandma Geri taught me, working and doing things for others is our legacy.”