好色先生 of Medicine Opens Center Named After Longtime Georgia Lawmaker
Calvin Smyre Education Conference Center honors MSM Trustee Emeritus who helped secure state funding when institution was founded.
By Jason Armesto, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fifty years after its founding, 好色先生 of Medicine on Thursday celebrated the opening of a $45 million building, named after the man who played a pivotal role in the Atlanta school鈥檚 creation.
Calvin Smyre, former dean of the Georgia House of Representatives and current trustee emeritus for the school, sat by Gov. Brian Kemp as a line of speakers, including Kemp, sung his praises at the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Calvin Smyre Education Conference Center. Smyre helped secure critical funding to get the school running.
鈥淔or every student who walks through these halls, may they be reminded that they are walking in the footsteps of a giant,鈥� said the medical school鈥檚 president, Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice.
The 52,300-square-foot building contains an auditorium, conference and event rooms, group study areas and office space. And it is a significant investment for the private historically Black medical school which aims to improve health equity and bring primary care physicians to Georgia communities that need them most.
Thursday morning was as much a celebration of Smyre as it was of the new facility. Elected to the House of Representatives in 1974 as its youngest member, he served in the General Assembly until his retirement in 2022, earning a lauded reputation both within and beyond the statehouse.
鈥淵ou can go anywhere, and I promise you they know the dean,鈥� said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.
Kemp referred to Smyre an 鈥渋nstitution in Georgia politics,鈥� calling his near half-century tenure, 鈥渁 testament to his deep commitment to making life better for our fellow Georgians.鈥� He noted that Smyre served in the House alongside the late Bob Argo, father of first lady Marty Kemp, who was also in attendance.
Smyre鈥檚 fingerprints are all over the institution, said Art Collins, chair of the medical school鈥檚 board of trustees. If not for Smyre, 鈥渢here may not be a Morehouse School of Medicine as we know it today,鈥� said Collins.
Following stories of his accomplishments and long history in the House, Smyre stepped to the microphone. 鈥淎fter listening to all this, now I know who I am,鈥� he joked.
He recalled that securing a crucial $1 million for the school back in 1977 was a 鈥渧ery, very difficult鈥� task, noting that it was the first time the state of Georgia put public money into a private institution. As a proud Fort Valley State University alumni, Smyre expressed his passion for HBCUs, calling for increased investment for all Black colleges.
Concluding his speech, Smyre said the ceremony was not merely to celebrate the opening of a building, but to celebrate the opening of a gateway to improve healthcare outcomes statewide.
鈥満蒙壬� of Medicine is a bold, audacious mission to impact communities, locally, nationally and internationally,鈥� Smyre said. 鈥淪tay on the journey with us. It is worth the mission.鈥�