To honour their many years of service to Queen’s, two new residence buildings will be named for former principal David Chadwick Smith and Drs. Marlene Brant Castellano and Clare Clifton Brant. The residences, which will provide accommodation for 550 students, will be named David C. Smith House and Brant House.

“Both Principal Smith and the Brants have rendered exceptional service to Queen’s over their many years involved with the university,” says Principal Daniel Woolf. “The naming of these two residence buildings will commemorate for many years the contributions they’ve made to our community and to Canada.”

The David C. Smith House on Stuart Street recognizes the 10 years Dr. Smith spent as Queen’s principal. A nationally respected economist, Principal Smith began teaching at Queen’s in 1961. He served as head of the Department of Economics from 1968-1981 and was appointed principal in 1984. During his two terms as principal, Queen’s underwent numerous changes, such as the founding of the Women’s Studies Department and the Bader International Study Centre, and the construction of buildings such as Stauffer Library and the Biosciences Complex. A fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a member of the Order of Canada, Principal Smith died after a brief illness in 2000.

“As a family we are very happy that Queen’s is honouring the dedicated service of former Principal David C. Smith to a university he respected, admired and loved,” says his wife Mary H. Smith, daughter Monica Martin and son Geoffrey Smith.

Brant House on Albert Street is named in recognition of the accomplishments and services of the Brants, a prominent Aboriginal family with strong Queen’s ties. Dr. Marlene Brant Castellano and her brother Dr. Clare Clifton Brant, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte of the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, are Queen’s graduates.

Dr. Brant Castellano (BA’55, LLD.’91) is a leader in Aboriginal education and research who has dedicated her life to the rights and well-being of native peoples. She has taught in the Queen’s Faculty of Education and currently serves as the co-chair of the Aboriginal Council of Queen’s University. An Officer of the Order of Canada, Dr. Brant Castellano has also been awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal and the National Aboriginal Achievement Award.

Dr. Clare Clifton Brant (MD’65) was Canada’s first Aboriginal psychiatrist and worked tirelessly to advance mental health issues relevant to Aboriginal peoples. He founded the Native Mental Health Association and was an Aboriginal health policy advisor to provincial and national health ministries. His seminal work, Native Ethics and Rules of Behaviour, continues to be extensively quoted in psychiatry, medical anthropology and sociological circles.

“The Brant family in its many generations is honoured to have the new student residence, built on traditional Haudenosaunee territory, carry our name,” says Dr. Brant Castellano. “We hope that it will become known as a welcoming place, where young people put their minds together to see what they will do for the good of people here on campus and further abroad to the four directions.”

The two residence buildings are planned to be completed in summer 2015, with students moving in in early September. Both will include a number of accessibility features including elevators and dedicated rooms for barrier-free living.

A formal naming ceremony will be held prior to the residences’ opening.