Mike M. Smalley Veterans Memorial Scholarship

For Mike, the town of Clemson and the University were always “home” and he loved his last opportunity to visit in November of 2016 for the Military Appreciation Day game. As a proud Navy veteran, he had always connected to the University’s military heritage and strong sense of community. He proudly looked forward to sharing the field at half-time with fellow servicemen from all branches of service.

How he lived his life is the legacy that he leaves behind. For the people who knew him, he had such an impact on their lives, they can barely remember what life was like without him in it. Now they go on, missing him in their lives, but knowing he would want them to live each day as the gift that it is, while remembering him saying “I am glad I can be here today”. He fulfilled the commitment he made to not let his cancer diagnosis take his joy until the very end.

There were no more important people in his life than his wife, his daughter Emma, his stepdaughter Kayla, and his family, who all knew how much he loved them. His friends felt that same love and, for Mike they were an extension of his family.

He will forever be admired for his loyalty, his loving and generous nature, and his many selfless acts of kindness. His wisdom served as his guide to show empathy, honesty, and acceptance to the people lucky enough to be in his life. He was known for being funny, charismatic, and fearless, always challenging others to join him in a passionate pursuit of all the fun that life could offer. The memories that were made with him, and those made in his honor since his passing, will remain as his forever imprint on the hearts of those who loved him and were lucky enough to be a part of his life.

Having been a student veteran himself, we know he would consider it a great honor to help other veterans achieve their academic career goals. It would make him happy to be a part of their journey. This is our way of honoring Mike’s legacy of love and service while supporting his fellow veterans.