Photo courtesy of University Relations
On Saturday, Aug. 4, the Hofstra community grieved the loss of a professor whose 55-year legacy at Hofstra will not soon be forgotten. Professor Emeritus of education and global studies professor Timothy Smith died of a cardiac arrest just one day after celebrating his 84th birthday.
Smith is survived by his wife Linda Longmire, his partner of 34 years and a global studies professor at Hofstra, as well as his three children, four grandchildren and sister.
Since joining Hofstra’s faculty in 1963, Smith served as the Department of Foundations of Education chairperson for 11 years and as the director/coordinator of the master’s program in foundations of education for 22 years. In 2004, he retired from Hofstra’s full-time staff and became a professor emeritus. Since 2011, Smith had been an adjunct professor in the global studies department.
“We feel there’s a personal loss, but more importantly, it was such a loss for future students – for those who could benefit from and desperately need that insight and depth,” Longmire said in an interview with Newsday.
Outside of the classroom, Smith directed Hofstra’s European Odyssey program with Longmire. The program, according to Hofstra’s website, consists of a 10-week minivan adventure across Europe for a dozen students each spring. Smith also taught two courses during the Odyssey program for the past 14 years.
Members of the Hofstra community, both past and present, along with family members, came together to remember the long-time professor at the Hofstra Labyrinth on Thursday, Aug. 6. A formal tribute will take place on Friday, Sept. 21, at the Helene Fortunoff Theater at Monroe Lecture Center.
In a statement from the University, administration said, “The Hofstra community is deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Timothy Smith, professor emeritus of education and adjunct professor of global studies. His dedication and commitment helped transform the lives of generations of students – in the classroom and through the European Odyssey semester-long study abroad program, which he directed with his wife, global studies Professor Linda Longmire.”
After growing up in Pennsylvania, Smith graduated from Princeton (1957) and Rutgers (1961, 1968) while also serving in the Army for two years. He had homes in Hempstead and the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
His distinguished academic career included time as an assistant professor and associate professor prior to being named a full professor in 1994.
