The Horace Smith Fund

Horace Smith, born on October 28, 1808 in Cheshire, MA, was a talented inventor, successful businessman, and generous philanthropist. He was one of eight children, and his family moved to Springfield when he was four after his father secured employment at the Water Shops of the United States Armory. With limited schooling, Horace accompanied his father to work as a helper in the Forging Department

, where he learned basic mechanical skills. In 1852, he met Daniel B. Wesson who was to become his business partner in the manufacturing of fi****ms. They formed the company Smith and Wesson in 1857, through which they amassed a fortune. Smith sold his interest in the company to Wesson in 1883 and retired. Smith's personal life was filled with sadness, having outlived his three wives, including his third who was 20 years his junior. His only son, Dexter, died at the age of 60 in 1892. Horace passed away five weeks later of congestive heart failure on January 15, 1893 with no immediate family or direct descendants. His will apportioned amounts to relatives and institutions and stated that the balance should be used for public purposes at the discretion of his executors. On June 2, 1893, Booker T. Washington, founder of the Tuskegee Institute, wrote to the executors asking for financial assistance for survival of his fledgling school. "At this time our school is very much in need of money and I write to say that if the Executors of Mr. Horace Smith's Estate can see their way clear to let us have $1,500 or $2,000 of the amount left to this institution, it would help us more at this time than it can possibly do at any other time...Even $1,000 of the amount would be very helpful. Yours truly, Booker T. Washington, Principal." The executors responded with a generous donation. The Horace Smith Fund was then established by the executors of the estate in 1899 to help deserving students finance their education. The only restriction was that applicants had to be a resident of Hampden County. There were no limitations set regarding gender, race, creed, or ethnicity as had been the general practice at the turn of that century. Contributing greatly to the Fund, was Walter S. Barr of West Springfield, MA. He had come from a successful family with a long time reputation in the dining and catering business that dated back to the 19th century. Barr's widow, Elizabeth, died in 1950 and left $750,000 of the family estate to The Horace Smith Fund. The Barrs desired to assist local young people in the pursuit of higher education, in which The Horace Smith Fund has faithfully managed to bequeath and adhered to this commitment. To memorialize the Barrs' generosity, both the Scholarship and the Fellowship Awards bear the name of Walter S.