We received some sad news in the department today. Professor George Smith passed away a couple of days ago. Professor Smith taught APLING 601 (Linguistics) and APLING 625 (Second Language Acquisition) in our online program.
Here is the full university broadcast:
April 24, 2012
MEMORANDUM FOR: University Community
FROM: Winston Langley, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
SUBJECT: Passing of Retired Professor George W. Smith
I am writing to inform you that retired faculty member George W. Smith passed away peacefully at home on April 22, 2012, after a long illness. Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, he earned a B.A. and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Virginia. He taught at St. Paul’s College in Virginia and, in 1971, joined the University of Massachusetts Boston as a professor of English Renaissance literature.
In mid-career, Professor Smith’s interest in stylistics led him to conduct research in computational linguistics. He wrote Computers and Human Language (Oxford University Press) and developed expertise in applied linguistics. Professor Smith helped to design and implement the M.A. Program in Applied Linguistics and, after retiring in 2005, continued teaching its online courses through December 2012. He enjoyed restoring the William Otis Lincoln House, his residence in Hingham since 1977. Active in the Hingham Historical Society, he surveyed historical properties in the Lincoln Historic District and restored the antique maps that appear in the Town history, Not All Is Changed by Francis Russell and Lorena Laing Hart, his lifelong friends. He enjoyed country music and followed the Red Sox, the Celtics, and the Patriots. Professor Smith leaves his wife of 46 years, Louise Z. Smith (Professor Emerita of English); their daughter Allison and her husband David Keefer of Wollaston; their son George and his wife Jessica (Bernier); his sisters Nancy and Jennifer Smith of Methuen; two grandchildren; and many friends.
Memorial services will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Hingham Public Library, 66 Leavitt St., Hingham, MA 02043; or to Hospice of the South Shore, 100 Bay State Drive, Braintree, MA 02185-9060.
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