A Life of Faithful Service: McCormick’s 2026 Distinguished Alumnus
SEPTEMBER 16, 2026
Honoring the Rev. Dr. Ozzie E. Smith Jr.: McCormick’s 2026 Distinguished Alumnus
McCormick Theological Seminary is proud to recognize the Rev. Dr. Ozzie E. Smith Jr.as the recipient of the2026 Distinguished Alumnus Award. A pastor, educator, musician, community leader, and trusted servant of the Church, Dr. Smith has devoted his life to ministry that brings faith into meaningful conversation with creativity, justice, learning, and service.
Across more than five decades of leadership, Dr. Smith has demonstrated that vocation cannot be confined to a single role or setting. His ministry has taken shape in the pulpit and the classroom, through music and mentorship, in community partnerships and public witness—and through an enduring commitment to helping people and communities flourish.
ABOUT THE DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS AWARD
The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to a McCormick graduate in recognition of a distinguished contribution to the ministry of the Church. The award is open to all alumni, regardless of age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, denomination, form of ministry, length of service, or public recognition.
The award emphasizes the quality and significance of an exceptional contribution to the ministry of Jesus Christ. Dr. Smith’s lifelong integration of pastoral leadership, education, artistry, community service, and justice exemplifies the spirit of this recognition.
FORMED THROUGH FAITH, SCHOLARSHIP, AND MUSIC
Dr. Smith’s educational journey reflects the breadth of his calling. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Langston University in Oklahoma, a Master of Education in Music from Memphis State University, a Master of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.
Before and alongside his pastoral ministry, Dr. Smith served as a music scholar and educator, holding positions at Chicago State University, LeMoyne-Owen College, and Memphis City Schools. His work as an educator allowed him to nurture the gifts of others while bringing together academic rigor, creative expression, and a deep respect for the formative power of music.
A gifted professional musician, Dr. Smith has served as a bass vocalist, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist, performing on alto, tenor, and soprano saxophone as well as bass guitar. Music has been more than an accompaniment to his ministry; it has been one of the languages through which he teaches, connects, inspires, and bears witness to the movement of the Spirit.
A PASTOR WHO BUILT COMMUNITY
Dr. Smith served as associate pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ under the mentorship of the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. That formative experience helped prepare him for a pastoral vocation grounded in thoughtful preaching, community engagement, cultural affirmation, and a commitment to justice.
He later became senior pastor of Covenant United Church of Christ in South Holland, Illinois, where he served faithfully for 24 years before retiring in 2020. Throughout his tenure, Dr. Smith guided the congregation with vision, compassion, wisdom, and a deep commitment to connecting the life of the Church with the needs of the wider community.
His leadership reflected an understanding of ministry as both proclamation and presence. Whether preaching, teaching, counseling, mentoring, or accompanying people through seasons of change, Dr. Smith helped cultivate a community in which faith could be practiced, questions could be explored, and people could discover new possibilities for their lives.
FAITHFUL LEADERSHIP BEYOND THE CHURCH WALLS
Dr. Smith’s ministry has consistently extended beyond the pulpit. Through his affiliations with the South Holland Ministerial Association, Community Renewal Society, the Anti-Racism Institute of Clergy and Laity Concerned, and the Church and Ministry Community of the Chicago Metropolitan Association, he has worked alongside others to strengthen communities, confront racism, and advance justice.
His service reflects a conviction at the heart of McCormick’s mission: theology must travel beyond institutional walls and speak to the realities people face every day. Dr. Smith has carried that conviction into congregations, classrooms, civic spaces, and community partnerships, demonstrating how faithful leadership can help create change through both public witness and sustained relationship.
AN ENDURING COMMITMENT TO MCCORMICK
Dr. Smith’s relationship with McCormick did not end with graduation. As a member of the Seminary’s Board of Trustees, he continues to offer his wisdom, experience, and leadership in service to the institution and its future.
His continued engagement represents the vital role alumni play in McCormick’s shared mission. Alumni carry the Seminary’s theological imagination into the world—and they also bring what they have learned through years of ministry, leadership, and lived experience back into the life of the institution. Through his Board service, Dr. Smith helps McCormick remain rooted in its mission while imagining how that mission must respond to a changing Church and world.
A LIFE STILL BECOMING
Dr. Smith’s story embodies the spirit of McCormick’s 2026–27 theme, (Be)coming What We Imagine. His life reminds us that faithful becoming is not a destination reached once, but a continuing practice of listening, learning, creating, serving, and responding to God’s call.
Through 24 years of pastoral leadership, a distinguished career in music and education, decades of community engagement, and his ongoing service to McCormick, Dr. Smith has given faithful imagination hands and feet. He has shown what becomes possible when scholarship, artistry, pastoral care, and the pursuit of justice are woven together in service to God’s people.
McCormick is honored to celebrate the Rev. Dr. Ozzie E. Smith Jr. as its 2026 Distinguished Alumnus and to recognize a life of ministry that continues to strengthen the Church, enrich the community, and inspire those who will lead next.