Three decades after Kristin Smart’s disappearance, Cal Poly and Smart’s family are creating a memorial on campus in her honor.
Kristin’s Grove, which will be built near Dexter Lawn, is intended to honor Smart’s life and legacy while serving as a gathering place for students and visitors, according to a Cal Poly announcement. The university said the space is designed to encourage students to look out for one another and reinforce that safety and community are shared responsibilities.
At the Smart family’s request, students from Cal Poly’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design helped design the memorial, creating what the university described as a sanctuary for reflection and community.
Smart was 19 and a Cal Poly freshman when she disappeared over Memorial Day weekend in 1996 after attending an off-campus party. She was last seen walking back toward campus with fellow student Paul Flores. In 2022, Flores was convicted of first-degree murder, as previously reported by Mustang News.
READ MORE: Paul Flores to serve 25 years to life in prison
The announcement comes three years after Cal Poly publicly apologized to Smart’s family for its handling of her disappearance. President Jeffrey Armstrong acknowledged the university should have responded differently after Smart vanished and apologized on behalf of the institution in 2023.
The family expressed its appreciation in a statement released by Cal Poly.
“By acknowledging the past and actively building a safer campus for the future, they have demonstrated the kind of compassionate leadership that truly honors Kristin’s life and dreams,” a member of the family said.
Construction is expected to be completed by the end of summer. The grove is expected to open to the public before the start of the fall semester, with a formal dedication planned later this year.