The Thomas B. Smith electrical substation appropriately symbolizes its namesake’s contribution to Ohio State.

On June 7, the Board of Trustees approved naming one of the university’s newest buildings, located at 1960 Tuttle Park Place, after Thomas Brown Smith. Although many staff, faculty and students might not recognize his name, Smith played a key role at OSU during some of its greatest years of expansion.

Part of an OSU legacy that includes his father and three brothers, Smith enrolled at OSU in 1938 as an engineering student, but only briefly.

“It wouldn’t be appropriate to name an academic building after me,” Smith said. “I wasn’t a very good student,”

He moved on, attending Muskingum College for a year, then worked for a TNT plant in Paducah, Ky., during World War II. He finally returned to OSU in 1946 to complete his electrical engineering degree. Before graduating in 1949, Smith worked as a teaching associate in the Department of Engineering Graphics. From 1948 until 1956, he worked for the University Architect’s office, Smith said.

Between 1956 and 1974, Smith rose through the ranks to become associate vice president for Physical Facilities, making him personally responsible for every building on campus, Smith said.

Upon his retirement in 1986, Smith had overseen or been involved in many improvements to the OSU campus, including the construction of Larkins Hall, the Jesse Owens Centers and St. John Arena. He brought air conditioning to campus buildings for the first time, and spearheaded negotiations that revolutionized the way OSU brings electricity to its buildings, Smith said.

Straining under increased demand, the McCracken Power Plant could no longer supply power to OSU efficiently. In 1959, Columbus Southern Power supplemented McCracken with electricity. Smith’s negotiations with CSP provided a cost-effective way for OSU to satisfy the electrical demands of a growing campus, he said.

In much the same way that Smith brought outside power to the campus and took responsibility for providing that electricity to every building on campus, the Thomas B. Smith electrical substation accepts power from American Electric Power, then distributes it across the university, almost like a home circuit breaker. It regulates OSU’s electricity and can provide emergency power during outages.

Smith credits Jim Stevens, associate vice president of Physical Facilities, and Wallace Giffen, energy programs manager, for pitching the name to the university.

“Somebody had to recognize his contribution,” Giffen said. “It is appropriate to name a campus building after one who made such indelible contributions to the Ohio State University Campus.”

Marilyn Smith, Thomas Smith’s wife of 53 years, said she is proud of her husband’s achievements.

“I really think he deserves this,” she said. “He’s been extremely loyal to OSU for many years.”

While his wife is outgoing about her pride in her husband, Thomas Smith has accepted the honor with modesty.

“Maybe I had been in the right place at the right time,” he said. “I get credit for a lot of things other people were involved in.”

Smith has had a lasting influence on the Department of Physical Facilities, Giffen said.

The booming construction on campus today is a testament to Smith’s contribution to the university.

Smith said he welcomes the new construction as it brings down buildings that have outlived their usefulness.

“They’ve been busy tearing down things that should’ve been torn down,” Smith said. “I’m amazed at how much they’ve built in the last 20 years.”