FORT WORTH -- Benjamin Schmidt, a Marine sniper who was killed on patrol in Afghanistan on Oct. 6, 2011, loved history.
To honor their son, Teresa and Dr. David Schmidt contributed $100,000 to launch the Lance Cpl. Benjamin Whetstone Schmidt Endowed Professorship in History at Texas Christian University. The couple, who were honored Saturday during the TCU football game, are planning to raise $1 million for the professorship.David Schmidt, who has been the San Antonio Spurs team physician for 20 years, said that coping with his son's death has been extremely hard on his wife and him but that turning the loss into something positive helps. Benjamin Schmidt was 24 when he was killed."There are a couple of different ways to approach this," Schmidt said. "You can wallow in your own pity or make things happen."After his death, the Benjamin Whetstone Schmidt Memorial Scholarship Fund was created at TCU. The scholarship fund has raised more than $500,000.Schmidt said the scholarship fund and the professorship will help the legacy of his son live on while helping others.Benjamin Schmidt enrolled at TCU in the fall of 2006 after graduating from Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio. After three semesters, he joined the Marines. When he finished sniper school, he volunteered to go to Afghanistan, first for the experience and then to lead inexperienced Marine snipers. He was on his second deployment when he was killed.Before he left the second time, Schmidt told family members he planned to retire from the Marines and re-enroll at TCU when he returned to the States. He said he wanted to become a history professor.He also laid out plans for his life insurance policy in case something happened to him while deployed, his father said. Half of the insurance money was to go to a scholarship fund for the history department at TCU.Matt Bethea, director of development for TCU's AddRan College of Liberal Arts, said the professorship will allow other students to benefit from Benjamin Schmidt's generosity."Benjamin wanted to be a professor of history," Bethea said. "The professorship allows us to go out and get the best professors. It allows us to be more competitive. ... A scholarship reaches one but the professorship will reach 20 per semester."David Schmidt said spending the one-year anniversary of his son's death at TCU was healing."We wanted to be around the people that he loved," he said. "The TCU family embraced us. It was a perfect place for our family to be."To support the endowment, send memorials to LCpl Benjamin W. Schmidt Professorship, Office of University Development, Texas Christian University, TCU Box 297044, Fort Worth, TX 76129 or make a gift online at www.makeagift.tcu.edu designated to the Benjamin W. Schmidt Professorship.Susan McFarland, 817-390-7547Twitter: @susanmcfarland1Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
