Mary Bandura ’77 and Harton Smith ’75 support student research through a fund named in honor of Mary's father.
By Bennett Campbell Ferguson
October 2, 2026
Harton Smith ’75 met his wife, Mary Bandura ’77, while they were both studying psychology at Reed (Harton also earned a BA in biology). He became a cardiologist and she became a psychologist—just like her father, Stanford University professor Dr. Albert Bandura, whose legacy inspired Harton and Mary to create the Albert Bandura Memorial Student Research Fund.
“It wasn’t the first time we’d given to Reed, but it was the first time we gave a substantial amount of money to establish a particular fund,” Mary says. “For me, it was personal because it was my dad—a remarkable researcher whose work led to important clinical and social applications. His goal was always one of ‘human betterment.’ We hope this fund helps enable students in the social sciences to pursue this goal through their own research projects.”
Having created the Bandura Fund, Harton and Mary then wanted to help Reedies meet the moment even more directly. Their inspiration: Edie Paczkowski ’24, who received a grant from the school that made it possible for her to buy much-needed new pointe shoes for a pivotal dance company audition.
Harton and Mary know that often, “a small assist at the right moment—the registration fee for a conference, the right suit for an interview, a pair of shoes for an audition—can determine whether a student struggles or succeeds,” Harton says.
Enabling Edie to buy the shoes she needed “helped her advance to something she didn't have the means to do before,” Harton adds. “That got us thinking about what we could do to help other students with small but important needs.” Their brainstorm led to the creation of the Launch Pad Fund, to provide students with experiences, resources, and small necessities that might open crucial doors.
“It's an important component of becoming involved in your academic community at large,” Mary says. “We wanted to set up something that was not simply a contribution to tuition or an addition to a general fund. That’s why the Launch Pad Fund, which will continue to grow, was so appealing to us.” As a result of Harton and Mary's support, Reedies are growing, too.
