Tilman and Louella Smith Scholarship

At the beginning of his book In Favor of Growing Older, author Tilman Smith dedicates his work to his wife, Louella, and his children and grandchildren, all of whom, he says, “…have made my life a joyful pilgrimage rather than a dull journey.’ There may not be a better phrase to describe the lives of Tilman and Louella Smith than that one used by Tilman himself, for their years together have been ones of hope, praise and happiness.

Tilman was born January 1, 1903 , in Woodford County, Illinois. Louella was born October 26, 1908, in the same county. The two belonged to different church communities, however, and didn’t get acquainted until both attended Goshen College. Tilman graduated from Goshen College in 1928, while Louella attended Goshen for one year, enough to make her an elementary school teacher for the following five years of her life. The two were married December 24, 1932.

Tilman and Louella came from families who were deeply interested in education. Louella and her four sisters all attended Goshen College and became teachers, which their son, John Smith, described as somewhat “avant garde” for the times. “In fact,” John said, ‘Mom and her sisters, along with many Illinois Mennonite women, were considered a bit more progressive than some Mennonite women of their day.” When she married Tilman, Louella resigned from teaching and dedicated her life to raising their five children, all five of whom graduated from Goshen College as did the spouses of the four who are married. Three grandchildren have also attended Goshen College.

After Tilman graduated, he began an education career that would span four decades. He first taught and coached at Lowpoint (Illinois) High School. He moved to Roanoke (Illinois) High School in 1931 where he became Superintendent/Principal and also taught one or more courses until 1947. From 1947 to 1949 he was Vice President of Ulrich Manufacturing Co., a local firm. In 1949, he moved to Eureka, Illinois, to serve as superintendent of schools. By 1959, his expertise as educational administrator had caught the eye of the Mennonite Board of Education and the Hesston College powers that be, and he was invited to be president of that institution, where he served until he was 65 years old, in 1968. His work, however, did not end with retirement. The 1968-69 school year was spent at Eastern Mennonite College where he served as director of Institutional Studies for the re-accreditment of EMC. He came to Goshen College in 1969 and served as visiting professor of education supervising the large numbers of student teachers in the various school systems of the area. Following that assignment, he began a program of writing and study, under the auspices of the Mission Board, as Director of Studies and Programs for the Aging for the Mennonite Church. That work continue to this day.

John Smith describes his father’s writing as “reminiscence and advice,” citing a particular article about tramps in Tilman’s Mennonite com munity in Illinois. “He has always written from a human interest point of view,” John said, ‘and his articles reflect a positive outlook–an ‘up’ attitude. He can be critical, but never to the point of excluding hope.”

The Smiths’ friends know them as a couple who engage themselves with life in a delightfully exuberant way. Tilman has become something of a Mennonite humorist, and has a wealth of jokes for every occasion. John remembers family gatherings punctuated by a “corny humor,” noting that his father likes anything to do with puns. “We were a rather corny group,” John said. “Some people might call punning a kind of ‘low’ humor, but we always had fun.” Indeed, Tilman’s book includes a chapter entitled “Beyond Tiddlywinks: Exercise and Humor,” and he is considering a book on the subject of laughter and health.

In In Favor of Growing Older, a chapter ends with a quote from Willard Krabill, “Someone has said that those who are mentally and emotionally healthy are those who have learned to say three things: they have learned when to say when to say no, and when to say whoopee If knowing when to say yes, no and whoopee is indeed a guide for living happily and healthily, then Tilman and Louella Smith must be in the pink.