FVCC honors Lucy Smith with Eagle Award

Flathead Valley Community College honored community volunteer and longtime FVCC supporter Lucy Smith with the 2024 Eagle Award on June 18 at the annual President’s Circle dinner.

The Eagle Award is given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the community as well as to the development of FVCC. In 1990, the inaugural award honored one FVCC founder Owen Sowerwine and has been bestowed on FVCC instructors, board members, trustees, employees and community members alike for over 30 years since. 

“It was truly an honor and a joy to receive this year’s Eagle Award,” said Smith. “I was shocked by the recognition, and I feel so humbled to accept this award. FVCC is near and dear to my heart, and I love supporting our local educational opportunities for students.” 

Smith is an active volunteer with numerous local and international organizations, including the Glacier Symphony and Chorale, the Whitefish Community Foundation, Rotary, Women Who Wine, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Literacy Volunteers, and the Hockaday Museum of Art. 

At FVCC, Smith has been a dedicated advocate for the college, working to bridge the community with higher education opportunities in the Flathead Valley. She has regularly attended FVCC Foundation events in support of student scholarships each year. 

In 2023, Smith made a generous $500,000 donation to the Wachholz College Center, naming the Furlong Smith Fitness Center in honor of her family. "As one of four daughters, this was an opportunity to honor the Furlong name for all my parents gave over their lives. It also honors the Smith family, who always generously encouraged young people to pursue higher education, offered scholarship support, and helped people in the workforce seize advancement opportunities," Smith said. 

Smith also played a key role on the ONE Campaign Committee, which successfully raised funds for the Wachholz College Center project, completed in November 2022. Her dedication to FVCC continues as she recently joined the Board of Directors of the FVCC Foundation beginning in the fall.

“We are pleased to recognize Lucy for all of her support to FVCC and our community,” said FVCC President Jane Karas. “Lucy is an advocate for education, significantly supporting students through scholarships as well as campus facilities like the new fitness center. We are grateful for her passion and enthusiasm for student success.” 

Nominees are recognized at the annual President’s Circle dinner in June, this year, held onstage in McClaren Hall at the Wachholz College Center. The FVCC Eagle Award recipients are permanently displayed in the foyer of Blake Hall on FVCC’s Kalispell campus.