Presbyterian Village North (PVN) recently hosted its 2nd annual Texas Smoot Day, honoring the quirky and celebrated unit of measurement, the “smoot,” and paying tribute to the late Bob Kerwin of Martins Landing, whose Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) roots brought this unique celebration to PVN. This year’s gathering, organized by PVN resident Mike Amis, marked a blend of science, tradition and community connection that would have made Kerwin proud.
The day’s program opened with a heartfelt dedication by Emmitt Nelson, a fellow Martins Landing resident, honoring Kerwin’s legacy and recounting his friendship with Amis. Their shared passion for science, technology and good-natured fun led to this annual PVN tradition, drawing residents from all backgrounds to celebrate STEM vocations and rekindle the spirit of college fraternity days.
One of the highlights was a presentation on the longstanding tradition of “hacks” at MIT. Attendees learned about the 1958 prank in which Oliver R. Smoot, Jr., an MIT freshman, became a part of history by lending his height – exactly 5 feet, 7 inches – as a unit of measurement. Stretched across the Harvard Bridge between Boston and Cambridge by his fraternity brothers, Smoot measured 364.4 “smoots” and an “ear.” The story has since taken on a life of its own, inspiring engineers, pranksters and Google Earth users alike, with “smoots” embedded as a recognized measurement unit around the world.
Residents also enjoyed a reading by PVN Hawthorne resident, Ron Wetherington, diving into the humor and ingenuity of the smoot legacy, and enjoyed a STEM-themed trivia contest hosted by Corbet Bryant from The Villas. Questions ranged from iconic scientific discoveries to quirky facts about MIT’s hacks, keeping the audience engaged and entertained.
The highlight of the program was a live telephone interview with Oliver “Ollie” Smoot, Jr. himself, who joined from San Diego, California. He spoke about the origins of the smoot measurement, how it felt to see his name become a permanent part of MIT folklore, and the many places smoots had shown up over the years, including the Cambridge police department and Google Earth. Residents eagerly asked questions, gaining firsthand insights from the man who, quite literally, put himself on the map.
Throughout the week leading up to Texas Smoot Day, PVN residents participated in a special “Village Book of Smoots” challenge, measuring themselves against a “one smoot” marking in the café. Those who matched Smoot’s 5’7” height were invited to officially enroll their names in the book, proudly joining the ranks of PVN’s honorary “smoots.”
As the event concluded, Amis and Nelson shared exciting plans for the 2025 celebration, vowing to honor Kerwin’s legacy and keep the PVN community connected through science and camaraderie. With this year being a “gap year” between 2023 and the upcoming 2025 dedication of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge across the Trinity River as a “Smoot Bridge,” the afternoon closed in laughter and applause. It was a fitting tribute to the creativity, fellowship and STEM spirit the smoot tradition has come to symbolize at PVN.
