IN MEMORIAM
ALFRED G. SMITH
Alfred G. Smith, professor emeritus at The University of Texas
at Austin, died on December 3, 2004, at age 83. He held academic
appointments at Antioch College (1953-56) and the University
of Oregon (1962-1973) prior to his employment at The University
of Texas in 1973. He retired in 1984. Smith came to UT to spearhead
the Center for Communication Research and held academic appointments
in the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Speech
Communication. In addition, he worked closely with the School
of Law on a National Science Foundation grant which examined
future trajectories of the legal profession and factors which
might predict success in law school. His book, Cognitive
Styles in Law Schools (1979), was an outgrowth of this grant
and was published by The University of Texas Press.
Fred, as he was known to his colleagues, was a premier scholar
who helped guide the emerging field of communication during a
time of rapid interdisciplinary growth. He was known as an expert
in communication theory and his book, Communication and Culture (1966),
was an important early contribution to the area of study now
known as intercultural communication. His thinking and the courses
he taught were wide-ranging and had titles like “Economics
of Communication,” “Information Theory and Cybernetics,” “The
Practice of Communication Scholarship,” and “Contemporary
Communication Theory.” His published scholarship can be
found in a wide range of journals including the American
Anthropologist, Law and Human Behavior, Health Communications
and Informatics, and the Journal of Communication.
Fred’s intellectual abilities were recognized throughout
his career. His B.A. degree from the University of Michigan in
1943 was accompanied by honors in philosophy, honors in liberal
arts, and distinction in oriental languages. He did post graduate
work in foreign languages at Princeton and Yale before getting
his M.A. in philosophy and anthropology from the University of
Wisconsin in 1947. His Ph.D. in anthropology was also awarded
by the University of Wisconsin in 1956. His proficiency in languages
served him and his country well during and following World War
II. He was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army in the Office
of Strategic Services from 1942-45. From 1945-46, he was a Far
East analyst with the Department of State, Office of Research
and Intelligence, and from 1950-53, he served in the Department
of Interior, Office of Territories, as a Pacific Island Specialist.
When he became president of the International Communication Association
(ICA) in 1973, he translated the entire conference program into
French when the association met in Montreal. As president of
ICA, he presided over the transfer of the Journal of Communication to
the Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania,
and he also helped launch what is now the association’s
premier journal, Human Communication Research.
Fred’s scholarly accomplishments and keen mind were recognized
in many ways. He was a member of several honorary societies,
a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science,
and a fellow of the American Anthropological Association. He
was the recipient of more than twenty grants and served as a
consultant to the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes
of Health, the Department of State, the U.S. Information Agency,
the Peace Corps, and the Bureau of Census among others. Private
corporations like Exxon, CBS, and the public relations firm Hill
and Knowlton also sought his advice and counsel.
His professional accomplishments were outstanding, but Fred
was a man of many talents who drew high praise from executives
and academicians alike. In 1973, IBM executive Darrell Piersol
said this about Smith in a letter of recommendation:
Dr. Smith is that rare combination of brilliant scholar and
practical leader. He is able to organize work effectively
and to lead a group toward challenging objectives without
ruffling the feelings of his professional associates. …Although
he is an unassuming type of person, his dedication and sincerity
make an impact that earns him the respect of his associates.
Another 1973 letter from Malcolm McLean, then director
of the University of Iowa School of Journalism offered this about
the man:
I consider Fred to be one of the finest research scholars in
our field. He has wide-ranging interests in diverse facets
of communication. …His writing is stark in its apparent simplicity,
yet profound in its implications. In that sense, he is a finer
reporter than most of the professional journalists I know. He
is concerned that what he does, in research or teaching or whatever,
hold real promise of paying off, at least eventually, in terms
of human well-being. …Individually, he has a high sense
of personal integrity. …He is imaginative and creative,
yet quite sensible. He is a man of fine character.
He was a devoted and loving husband of fifty-eight years to
his wife Britta Helen Bonazzi.
<signed>
Larry R. Faulkner, President
The University of Texas at Austin
<signed>
Sue Alexander Greninger, Secretary
The General Faculty
This memorial resolution was prepared by a special committee consisting
of Professors Mark L. Knapp (chair) and Larry D. Browning and Mr. Robert
L. Cox, past Executive Director of the International Communication Association.
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