Ronald Smith '74, a founding brother of the Theta Zeta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at Dartmouth and a member of the Big Green football team that won the Ivy League Championship during all four years he played, died on March 22 after fighting multiple sclerosis and cancer for several years, his brother Donald Smith '74 said in an interview with The Dartmouth. He was 59 years old.
Smith grew up in Seattle with five siblings, including Donald, his identical twin brother. The brothers, nicknamed "the Smitties," attended Dartmouth together and both played for the football team, on which they were key contributors. Ronald Smith played as a defensive halfback and punt returner until a knee injury against Cornell University in 1972 ended his football career prematurely, according to Donald Smith.
"His moment of glory was an interception and 72-yard touchdown against Brown [University]," Donald Smith said.
Even when he could not play, Ronald Smith was a dedicated member of the team, his brother said.
Garfield High School classmate and football teammate Bobby Simmons remembers Ronald Smith as an "amazing athlete" who "always [had] that little smile."
During their junior year, Ronald and Donald Smith along with five friends established Dartmouth's chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, the College's first black fraternity.
"Every weekend for one year, they would drive to Boston to pledge [Alpha Phi Alpha] and earn the charter," Reggie Williams '76 said.
Ronald Smith was Williams' mentor at the fraternity, and the two were roommates with Donald Smith in 1974. Williams said that Ronald Smith, though devastated by his own injury, was "so positive" in supporting Williams through his own torn ACL.
"He was responsible for a lot of the early character development and the tremendous sense of legacy connected to the College," Williams said. "He is just a person that will be sorely missed."
After graduating from Dartmouth with a degree in psychology, Ronald Smith married Bonita Carter-Smith. He later enrolled at the University of Washington, where he earned a master's degree and a PhD in educational psychology. He worked in the university's housing services as the area coordinator for 26 years until he retired because of his deteriorating health, according to Patt Schwab, who was Ronald Smith's colleague and supervisor for five years at the University of Washington.
"He had a big personality and was always positive with a wonderful energy," she said.
At the University of Washington, Ronald Smith was surrounded by a devoted group of students and co-workers, Schwab said.
As of Monday, friends and family have posted over eight pages of comments and messages in memory of Ronald Smith on his online obituary.
In November 1999, Ronald Smith was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He received a secondary diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a form of cancer, in December 2005, according to Donald Smith. Ronald Smith underwent three chemotherapy sessions and had just started a fourth session when he died, his brother said.
Ronald Smith is survived by his wife; his brothers Donald Smith, Carl Smith and Anthony Smith; and his sister, Amelia Smith.
