They might have taken place more than a half-century ago, but chemistry classes are still fresh in Jean Smith’s mind. “I was the only woman in my class,” says Smith, a Baltimore native. “The department head made it known that he didn’t appreciate women cluttering his chemistry department, because all they were going to do is look for a husband and waste the professor’s time.”
That, however, was not on the to-do list of a woman who would go on to conduct industrial research and run her family’s business. From a young age, Smith loved chemistry; she received her first chemistry set when she was 12 years old and proceeded to take over the third floor of the house to build stink bombs.
Undaunted by her chairman’s views, she earned her Ph.D. in chemistry in 1953, the same year a vaccine for polio was developed and Queen Elizabeth II was crowned.
“I was going to show him,” says the 89-year-old.
After graduating, Smith worked for W.R. Grace for the next 23 years, where she conducted industrial research—including nuclear fuel production using non-fissile materials. In 1976 she joined her father at his business running Eastern Outdoor Advertising Company, which owns billboards in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.
Smith has been Eastern Outdoor Advertising’s president since 1985, but her work and lifestyle were complicated in 2016 by pain in her right knee.
Since she had previously been a patient at Johns Hopkins, she decided to make an appointment with the Johns Hopkins Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. At her first appointment, orthopedic surgeon Julius Oni told her she had severe arthritis in her knee and had little if any cartilage left.
Smith asked for a total knee replacement.
“At first, Dr. Oni came back and said knee replacements aren’t usually performed on people in their 80s,” recalls Smith.
But the two discussed how Smith had been active her entire life. She was still working full time, living independently and visiting state parks for walks. The only obstacle slowing her down was her knee pain. This information confirmed Oni’s decision.
“What matters is less the chronological age of the patient than the physiological age and a patient’s function before surgery,” explains Oni. “She was outstanding when it came to doing her part; she took on the rehabilitation process head-on with incredible zeal and flew through it.”
Smith says the successful operation in 2016 alleviated her pain, and her incision is barely visible. She continues to visit Oni for annual follow-ups. The surgery has allowed her to be active again—and begin planning for retirement.
“No, no, no,” she corrects immediately. “I’m only 89.”
To show her gratitude, Smith is a loyal supporter of Johns Hopkins.