By Judy Carmack Bross
In 1974, Maureen married Edward B. (“E.B.”) Smith, Jr., and moved to Chicago from her native New York. They shared a loving and devoted marriage for over 50 years.
On March 21 Chicago lost Maureen Dwyer Smith, one of its most powerful philanthropists, whose beautiful backstory included friendships filled with humor and a grace and serenity as she faced illness that would have defeated anyone without her courage and love for her family.
One of the great gifts to those of us working on a magazine that celebrates what is exceptionable about Chicago is telling of people’s civic passions and their roles as change agents. Maureen led in many non-profit organizations with her fundraising expertise, networking talents and intelligence, but the Joffrey Ballet was synonymous with her greatest accomplishments. She served as Chair of the Board of the Joffrey Ballet, where she also founded its Women’s Board. Her leadership was widely credited with helping to establish a sound financial and managerial foundation for the Joffrey.
In 2015 Maureen recalled for us those early Joffrey days in Chicago:
“Chicago is city of second acts: the Columbian Exposition after the fire and the Joffrey after its run in New York. It was a full-grown institution when it came to Chicago, not a start-up. We have had in Chicago a number of excellent regional ballets, but the Joffrey was the first ballet company to dance in Russia, first to dance at the White House, and first to be on the cover of Time Magazine.
“I was a founding member of the senior Joffrey board and knew that the gentlemen wouldn’t relish decorating for benefits—we needed a women’s board that not only liked planning events but also knew how to open doors. It demanded people who could introduce us to the people who made funding decisions for a company, foundation, or family. I can still remember that Chanel Army marching out to corporate offices, and even the fun they had advising one another about what to wear to our galas.
“I knew that we needed a large board but we certainly didn’t know at the time how it would turn out. I remember asking Renee Crown if she thought one of her daughters would like to join the board, and she said that she would like to herself. We had a wonderful time.”
Key to keeping a women’s board vibrant is the love of their work and the camaraderie created. Maureen said: “In the last 10 years, we have really gotten to know the dancers—it was important as we gave support to the Joffrey that we needed to put a face to a name. The dancers are really fun, and we even had contests with them of who had the ugliest feet.”
In another article from 2021 deep in the pandemic: Greg Cameron, Joffrey President and CEO, said “It has been a year filled with loss and ambiguity. It has caused me to reflect back on our beginnings in Chicago 25 years ago. I remember Maureen Smith, who has played such an important role with the Joffrey, telling us that we had to create a women’s board to ‘stand tall with the boards of the Symphony and the Art Institute’.”
In 1974, Maureen married Edward B. Smith, Jr., and moved to Chicago from her native New York where she worked for American Heritage Publishing Company as an associate editor, researching and contributing to the writing and editing of seventeen art and history books, covering topics as diverse as Colonial America, Russia, and China.
E.B. and I talked this week about Maureen and the lasting difference she made.
“Maureen was a very loving an unselfish person. She never took credit for herself and always shared it with her team. She cared deeply about each person and made each individual feel like they were important and an especially good friend of hers,” he said. “At the Joffrey she always took time to meet with individual dancers even sitting with them on the dance floor. One dancer asked if she should call her Mrs. Smith? Maureen answered, ‘call me Maureen unless you have a really big personal problem in which case call me Mom’.”
He continued his reflections:
“She cared deeply about improving Chicago’s disadvantaged neighborhoods. For example, she worked closely with her friend Maggie Daley at After School Matters to keep neighborhood libraries open on weekends, not only for access to books but also to be a safe place for families to gather to be away from crime.
“And we shouldn’t forget her intellectual and artistic achievements. She co-authored the book The Art Institute: 100 Masterpieces for the Museum’s Centennial.”
When I last saw Maureen at a small dinner party where she was surrounded by her five grandchildren Nathan, Brandon, Liam, Josie and Teddy as well as her sons Edward and Peter and their wives Eliza and Debbie. I remembered being neighbors in the same building in Chicago before the Smiths moved out to Lake Forest and Maureen’s magical effect on my own little children. Always “Mommy Maureen” to my daughter Charlotte, she once took us on a whirlwind tour of EPCOT when we were all in Orlando at the same time, convincing the kids that it was the real Italy they had visited and filling them with awe. Her ability to find humor in just about everything was something that drew people of any age to her side.
An incredible opportunity for that time was knowing Maureen’s parents, Mary Ellen and John Dwyer, and her sister Mary Ellen Mason, and her brothers John and Kevin Dwyer. This red-headed bunch welcomed my family in and defined what true caring means. Mary Ellen Dwyer worked for several years at the Rehabilitation Institute and was a touchpoint for those who needed encouragement. At that last dinner, Maureen’s siblings hadn’t changed a bit, the fine accomplishments matched by their kindness and good humor, so like Maureen.
The Dwyers loved their New York roots and Maureen grew up there. She began her professional career in advertising at Benton & Bowles in New York before joining American Heritage.
When she moved to Chicago, Maureen began a new career as a retail consultant, primarily with Marshall Field’s, and dedicated herself to civic leadership.
Maureen’s dedication to the arts and education extended to numerous other institutions. She was a Trustee of the Field Museum, the Chicago Public Library Foundation, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and After School Matters. Additionally, she served on the Women’s Boards of the Field Museum, the Art Institute, Rush University Medical Center, Northwestern University, the Alliance Française, the Goodman Theatre, the Lincoln Park Zoo, and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Her commitment to civic engagement earned her shared awards from the Harvard Club of Chicago and DePaul University.
Despite her numerous accomplishments, Maureen’s greatest joy was her family. She was a devoted mother to her sons Edward and Peter, and a loving mother-in-law to Eliza and Debbie. She cherished her five grandchildren staying closely connected through frequent visits and phone calls as well as with many nieces and nephews. And she never forgot a friend and how to make them feel very special.
