Tom Fagan, MA, EdS
Program Director
University of Memphis

Ohio has one of the longest and most significant histories in school psychology (Fagan, 2012). The sheer length of that history makes it easier for us to never know of, or to forget, the Ohio roots of many accomplishments in our field. I suspect that few in our field have much recollection of Donald Smith; and there may not be many still active in school psychology who were mentored by Smith when he was directing the school psychology program at Ohio State University in the 1960s. I was trained at Kent State University at that time and knew of Smith, but I don’t think I had ever met him. He directed the Ohio State program which was the “big dog” among several programs then operating in Ohio.

Recently Dean Stoffer contacted me about verifying his NASP charter membership (which I believe he held) and we discussed the whereabouts of his mentor, Don Smith. I was familiar with Smith’s significance to the founding and editing of the Journal of School Psychology (Fagan & Jack, 2012). There was also an overview of Smith’s early career interests, employment, and contributions discussed in an oral history video conducted by Donald Wells in January 1992. Wells was historian for the Florida Association of School Psychologists and his taped interviews of Smith and Donald Ferguson are significant contributions to Ohio history. My brother lives in Ft. Myers and on my visit there in 2013 I had lunch with Smith at his Kelly Green retirement village. He was still golfing and was quite active mentally and physically. We enjoyed recalling events in the early years of the journal and Ohio school psychology. I tried reconnecting to Don in the past year but had no success. Spurred by Dean Stoffer’s inquiry, I learned of Smith’s death while searching for him online.

Donald Curtis Smith, the first editor of the Journal of School Psychology died April 29, 2019 in Ft. Myers, FL. He was born in Chestertown, NY, on July 19, 1926. A well-educated person who came to school psychology from related fields, he received his BA in English (1949), MA in school psychology (1951), and PhD in Developmental/Educational Psychology and Exceptional Children (1959) all from Syracuse University. After an internship in Child Clinical Psychology with the NY State Department of Mental Hygiene, he held academic positions with Ohio State University (1959-1971) including director of the child study center and coordinator of the school psychology program. He then joined the faculty at Florida International U. until his retirement in 1993 and moved to Ft. Myers. At FIU he held several administrative positions in the Division of Psycho-Educational Services and the College of Education and helped to develop a school psychology program. His vita identifies numerous university-related committee assignments across the FIU campus. His interview with Donald Wells (1992) reveals Smith’s evolving background interests in journalism, clinical psychology, service placements and eventually his encouragement from the distinguished William Cruickshank to return to Syracuse and pursue doctoral studies.

FIU faculty member Phil Lazarus recalls Don’s employment there: “I knew Don. He was the Associate Dean of the College of Education at Florida International University. He also served as our Department Chairperson when we were called the Department of Psychoeducational Studies. He founded the School Psychology Program at Florida International University and was responsible for hiring me as the second full-time director of our program. He was hard working, gentle, and a man of integrity. He was well liked by his colleagues. He was also influential in bringing our program up from the master’s level to the specialist level. I kept in touch with him for about five years after his retirement but then we lost touch.”

Don was active in the Ohio School Psychologists Association and later the Florida Association of School Psychologists as well as state psychology associations. He was also active in the early years of the Ohio Inter-University Council on School Psychology that assisted the development of training and promoted state-supported internships across the state. He was an associate member of APA in 1954, then member in 1958 and Fellow in 1969 (Division 16) and held several Division committee assignments. He also was a diplomate in school psychology. I don’t believe he was ever a member of NASP. He belonged to several groups during his most active years reflecting his broad interests in psychology and education; and his teaching assignments crossed several education and psychology areas. However, his main school psychology contribution was helping to found and edit the Journal of School Psychology 1962-1968 (Fagan & Jack, 2012) and work with the journal’s board for several years. Originally sponsored by the Ohio Department of Education, the journal soon encountered financial troubles and was able to continue by selling shares as a private not-for-profit venture. The JSP established a long record of financial success and became the financial centerpiece of the Society for the Study of School Psychology. During the 1960s and 1970s, he published several survey articles that helped to define the field’s development.

He was married to Jodi Fordyce Smith (1937-2007) from 1964 until her death. Her background was in social work and they had three children. Her family history was the subject of a book she and Don published in 2005 (Smith & Smith, 2005). Perhaps his earlier undergraduate interests as an English and journalism student finally came to fruition. Persons interested in Don’s career contributions can get a copy of his vita by contacting Tom Fagan, Dept. of Psychology, 400 Innovation Dr., U. of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152.

References

Fagan, T. K. (2012, April 19). Invited address: The significance of Ohio to the history of school psychology: A personal tour. Spring Conference of the Ohio School Psychologists Assn., Hilton Columbus/Polaris, Columbus, OH.
Fagan, T. K., & Jack, S. (2012). A history of the founding and early development of the Journal of School Psychology. Journal of School Psychology, 50, 701-735
Smith, D. C., & Smith, J. F. (2005). Letters from Bobo: Whimsical musings of a twentieth century curmudgeon. Ft. Myers, FL: Markee Publishing.
Wells, Donald (January 24, 1992). Interview with Donald Smith. DVD available from the author.