In Memory of Nate Smith, 1930-2026

On January 16, 2026, Professor of History Emeritus Nate Smith passed away, just a few weeks before his 96th birthday.

Nate was born in February 1930 to Celia (Satz) and Abraham Smith (originally Avram Smikun), Jewish immigrants from Ukraine and Lithuania.  He was the first in his family to pursue a degree in higher education, graduating from Roosevelt College, and later receiving his Ph.D. in Russian History from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

 

Professor Smith taught at Washington College for 40 years as a Professor of European History, ending with his retirement in 1997.  Arriving in Chestertown at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Professor Smith embraced the cause of racial integration both in the town and at the college, participating in Chestertown’s Freedom Rider protest of 1962, and leading the drive to desegregate Washington College.  He carried his passion for social justice, historical awareness, and institutional integrity into every facet of his service at Washington College.  You can learn more about the Chestertown Freedom Riders at Chesapeake Heartland. Professor Smith was instrumental in guiding key position searches and the long-range planning that propelled Washington College into what College President Douglass Cater liked to call that “higher orbit” of national liberal arts colleges. He taught generations of students, chaired the History Department for decades, and served as Dean of the College, earning the prestigious Lindback Award for Excellence in Teaching along with other honors. (“Remembering Nathan "Nate" Smith - The Chestertown Spy”) Even now, Washington College continues to be guided by the principles he and other faculty leaders of his generation established back in the early 1960s.

Professor Smith is survived by Margaret Jeanne Smith, his wife of 68 years; four children, and six grandchildren.  He is remembered by his children as a constant presence in their lives, passing along his love of music and books, and being a beloved source of support, handyman services, and love for his family.