Office Hours is a series focusing on unique artifacts that BYU employees display in their offices.
Visitors quickly discover that bears aren’t just Tom Smith’s research specialty — they’re woven into nearly every part of his office.
One wall displays casts of black bear, brown bear and polar bear tracks. Tracking has been a major part of Smith’s career, from his years as a federal researcher in Alaska to his work studying wildlife today.
Nearby hangs a taxidermied bear head from the BYU Bean Museum. Around the room are bear figurines, photographs, books, maps and gifts from friends, colleagues and former students.
“Most of it’s stuff people have given me,” Smith said. “They’re all little stories.”
Even the bear tracks on his wall carry memories. Smith made most of the casts himself, but one belonged to his friend and fellow bear researcher. This friend was moose hunting in the Yukon when a grizzly bear approached him from behind and killed him. Smith keeps the track cast on his wall as a memorial to his close friend and mentor in casting tracks.
“This whole wall is really a collection of memories,” Smith said. “Former jobs. Former students. Friends. People who have meant a lot to me. People move on, and eventually some of them leave this life. You just keep them close to your heart.”
The wall includes photographs of those who mean the most to him, along with keepsakes from different stages of Smith’s career. Many of the items in his office were gifts, each carrying a story and a memory.
“Most of the things in here weren’t things I bought — they were gifts,” Smith said. “How could you ever throw something like that away?”
After 21 years at BYU, Smith is preparing to retire, but the memories collected in his office represent a career filled with meaningful relationships.
