Almost a month after Lindsey Smith lost her life in a car accident, ACU students, faculty and staff gathered in Bennett gym to celebrate her life through her passion for two-stepping at the Red Boot Roundup.
The dance was put together by students who were close to Smith with the help of Student Life and the Students Association. Zach Stromberg, Â junior psychology and business financial management major from Putney, Vt., helped organize the dance. Stromberg said he was impressed at the amount of work and commitment given by everyone involved.
“Everyone put their heart into this dance, and without it, the dance wouldn’t have been as perfect as it was,” Stromberg said.
The night began with two-stepping to live music from Muddy Creek and segued into two of Smith’s favorite skits by Seekers of the Word and a dance by Sanctify. After that, the crowd continued two-stepping until everyone began worshiping together at the end of the night.
Seekers of the Word, the on-campus religions drama group Lindsey Smith was a member of, leads a song of worship at the Lindsey Lee Smith Red Boot Roundup. (Optimist photo by Adrian Patenaude)
Two-stepping was one of Lindsey’s passions. Lindsey taught many ACU students how to two-step, including Stromberg.
“She always had a huge smile on her face no matter how many time I messed up, as long as I was having fun.” Stromberg said. “We couldn’t think of a better way to honor her than by promoting one of her greatest passions.”
Katrina Kelly, junior family studies major from Mesquite, did not know Smith, but still felt the love for her in the room.
“I thought it was amazing to see the ACU community come together to do something for Lindsey,” Kelly said.
Two-stepping was not the only reason for the night. The Lindsey Lee Scholarship Fund was accepting donations at the door. From more than 500 people in attendance, $4,700 was raised for the scholarship fund. The success of the night has already set plans into motion to make the dance into an annual event.
The night was a time for the ACU community to stop and remember the beautiful life Lindsey had.
“There were times of reminiscence, laughter, tears and joy,” Stromberg said. “The only thing that was missing was a dance with Lindsey.”
