By STEPHANIE CARN and ALLISON BRINKERHOFF
stephanie@du2.byu.edu
After 32 years of teaching electrical engineering and digital design, Merrill Smart is retiring with mixed feelings.
A night of tribute was sponsored by Tau Alpha Pi, the engineering technology honor society. More than 60 people gathered in the Eyring Science Center Thursday night to honor his professorship.
'You'll find future students, current students, former students, current faculty and former faculty here. We invited everyone,' said Barry Lunt, the faculty advisor of Tau Alpha Pi.
In his tenure at BYU, Smart won the Teacher of the Year in the college of electronics engineering and technology three times.
'I've enjoyed very much being here, especially being part of helping students achieve their potential. It's been great to be a part of this BYU program and I leave here with mixed emotions.'
-- Merrill Smart, retired BYU professor of electrical engineering
Doug Smoot, one of Smart's contemporaries and long-time friend, shared experiences and qualities of Smart that he gathered from students, faculty, family and friends.
'I'll never forget the time when he had provided us with a design that pertained to a completely different chip then we were using, and a week went by before he realized his error. He came into class and said, `Here's the right schematic guys. Now I better leave.' We had been slaving for hours to solve the problem but we were using the wrong design. What a great memory,' said Brian Collins, 24, a senior from Seattle majoring in electrical engineering.
Smoot shared the many reasons why he considers Smart to be such a fine friend and teacher.
'I have a lot of respect for Merrill, he's had a wealth of experience' Smoot said.
Many students feel Smart is an exceptional teacher at BYU.
'He has the attitude that the student comes first, your really know that he cares,' said Shane Billings, 23, a senior from Niceville, Fla., majoring in electronics engineering technology.
Brian Collins echoed his praise.
'He's always concerned that everyone understands the point that he's trying to get across. He doesn't give answers; he gives students an opportunity to learn to struggle and to solve their own problems,' Collins said.
Smoot focused on Smart's personality traits as well as his teaching.
'You don't have to be around Merrill very long to notice his humility. He's a man without guile. Like most of us he has faults, but none of them have never been apparent to me,' Smoot said.
Smart was presented with a folder of letters and accolades from former students and colleagues, as well as a framed picture of the first ever graduating class of electronic engineers from BYU by Efren Taboada, the president of Tau Alpha Pi.
'I've enjoyed very much being here, especially being part of helping students achieve their potential. It's been great to be a part of this BYU program and I leave here with mixed emotions,' Smart said.
Faculty members and students agreed he will be missed.
'Merrill Smart is a very, very exceptional man. I wish him well and express my love to him,' Smoot said.