Kimberly Gray Smith, 69, passed away in Fayetteville April 9, 2018. He was born July 19, 1948, in Manchester, Connecticut, to Robert H. and Janet (Simon) Smith. He was third of 5 children. He is survived by siblings Holiday Houck, Robert H. Smith, Jr., Wendelin J. Smith, Bradford S. Smith, their spouses and many nieces and nephews.
Kim and his wife Peggy J. (Jones) were married 45 years (since 1972). Their daughter, Mallory and husband Sheldon Steinert of Fayetteville are parents of Erowyn, Simon, Laura, and Kara.
Kim, as Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences at UA-Fayetteville, pursued research in various areas of terrestrial ecology. His interests ranged widely from black bears to birds to bugs. His formal education took him from Kimball Union Academy (prep school) in New Hampshire to undergraduate studies at Tufts University (B.S. 1971). He received advanced degrees from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville (M.S. 1975) and Utah State University (Ph.D. 1982). Kim was a post-graduate research ecologist at Bodega Marine Lab, UC Berkley (1980-1981). He also served as Research Associate at Manomet Bird Observatory (1977-1980).
Kim began his professional teaching and research career at UA-Fayetteville in fall 1981. He attained status as University Professor of Biological Sciences (2009) and Distinguished Professor (2015). During his career he was Departmental Chair of Biological Sciences (2004-2008) and a highly productive researcher and collaborator, with approximately 300 professional publications.
Kim was a committed educator and nurtured students at various stages of career preparation and development, including 8 post-doctoral research associates, 23 doctoral students, 36 masters students, and many undergraduate honors students. Kim was deeply involved in numerous professional organizations in a variety of roles: officer, editor, meeting organizer, etc. He served as Editor in Chief of The Auk (2000-2004), the primary scientific journal of what is now the American Ornithological Society.
In lieu of flowers, the family invites contributions to causes and activities valued by Kim. Specifics about contributions, as well as a celebration of Kim’s life will be announced on a future date.
Kim presented a retirement seminar in the Department of Biological Sciences on April 5, just 4 days before his death. He entertained a packed room with an often humorous summary of his life and career, “Life in the Fast Lane: My Life as a Community Ecologist.” He ended his seminar with some advice to younger colleagues: “Be curious, be creative, challenge yourself to learn new things, learn the history of things that interest you, take students on field trips, take students abroad,” and finally, “have fun doing what you do … I did …”
Cremation arrangements by Beard’s Funeral Chapel.
Dear Peggy: we have not met but your husband was an important mentor to me through graduate school and my early academic career. He was also a very influential avian ecologist and his work influenced many others.
He will be sorely missed. My sincerest condolences to the family.
My deepest and sincerest condolences to you. Kim was a wonderful human being who showed nothing but love to me and Adjani. He was kind and he was patient and his legacy of true mentorship will always be remembered by those he touched. I wish you amazing strength in this time.
Kim was one of the nicest guys in ornithology. I will miss him.
I was saddened and shocked to hear that Kim had passed away so suddenly and unexpectedly. I didn’t know Kim personally, but for a time he and I shared a strong interest in and passion for juncos. He may not have known it, but his was among the early influential bodies of work early in my ornithological career. I recall having written or called him once early on with some questions I had about juncos, and that he was very gracious and encouraging with his reply. My sincere condolences to his immediate family and to his extended “family” of dedicated field ornithologists who have lost one of the best examples of their kind.
Kim- I am going to miss you. We didn’t get to play golf much any more but I will always cherish your friendship through the past 28 years.
Kim was a mentor to me in graduate school — go Cicada Team! I am successful today because he took a chance on a graduate student that couldn’t even score well on the GRE. He was a friend and he and Peggy were always wonderful to my daughter and her mother — Jenny played with Mallory when they were younger and I remember all the great times at his house. Kim will forever be held in my heart with reverence and respect and much love. I had hoped to be at his retirement party this summer to see him as it had been far too long. Rest in peace Dr. Kimberly G. Smith and thank you for being a part of my life.
Dear Peggy,
‘He longed to be the wind and blow through your rustling branches,
to be your shadow and lengthen with the day on the water,
to be a bird and perch on your topmost twig,
and to float like those ducks among the weeds and shadows.’
– By Rabindranath Tagore
Lots of love to you.. Shilpa and Raj.
I’m very sorry for your loss. You and your family will be in my thoughts.
I’m shocked to learn this. Kim and I are the same age and I assumed he was doing fine. Kim was an ideal phd advisor, so patient, gentle, encouraging, supportive, warm, understated. He arranged for my best job interview after the phd, was responsible for my post-doc assignment at CAST, made the referral that resulted in my first job after the post-doc through contact with a former student. He was a real friend.
I have always thought of Dr. Smith as someone with an aura around him, of being a researcher, scientists, birder and most importantly a human being with compassion. He was very kind and always considerate to me being a committee member. I still remember during my comprehensive examination I got stuck at one question and suddenly was anxious how to answer the question. He told me there and then ‘Aditi, I know you can answer this question, just calm down and think’. I went on to answer the question but what stood out to me that day was he believed in his students at times when students doubted themselves. He will be remembered as a kind and compassionate soul and dedicated ecologist who ALWAYS ALWAYS had a smile on his face. He will be missed immensely but he will also live through his legacy of contribution to the field of ecology and helping make so many dreams of students come true by being their mentor.
My condolences to Peggy and rest of the family.
I will miss Kim. He was always a steady voice in the department and a good friend to many. I will remember him for his wisdom and direction when I needed it as a junior faculty and during many other times in my career. My condolences to the entire family.
Kim will be in our memories. Please know we are thinking of you, Mallory and your family members. Please accept our sympathy.
Kim was and always will be an important part of my life. I’m grateful for him and very saddened by his death. Peggy and Mallory, please accept my thoughts and condolences. Kim, of anyone, deserved a long playful retirement.
My sincerest condolences to Peggy, Mallory, and all of Kim’s friends. Kim was a tremendous mentor to me and I will always be grateful for the guidance and friendship he provided while I was in Fayetteville.
Whenever I hear cicadas, I will always think of Kim!
My best to you, Peggy, and to you, Mallory. My heart hurts for your loss.
Peggy,
We don’t know what to say. This can’t be happening. Deepest possible condolences.
Collis & Lois Geren
Extreme Condolences from the Executive Committee of the Arkansas Academy of Science. He will be sorely missed by the Academy.
My thoughts and prayers are with you dear Peggy and Mallory.
Dear Peggy, Please accept my sympathy for your loss. Kim was a great colleague. He will be forever missed.
Oh Peggy and Mallory, I simply can’t express my sadness at the loss of Kim !! He was such a considerat person who took the time to get to know me and Eddie each time he was “ back east”. My favorite memory is the still picture of him with a little bird on his finger in the video, “ As the Buffalo Flows”. It embodies him as a person, a professional and mentor to so many students. I am broken hearted for you and all of Kim’s many family members and countless students. Know that I think of you and send BIG Hugs ❤️
Peggy and the rest of the Smith Family, it is still a shock Kim’s passing. I send all my love and deepest of condolences for the way to early passing of Kim. Kim guided me when I had no idea of what I was doing and you Peggy advocated for me on my housing situation, no I don’t forget! May you have the solace to bear the pain of his passing, but revel in the memories that so many of us are sharing.
It was truly my pleasure to serve as Dr. Smith’s Fiscal Support Specialist in Biological Sciences. Although we didn’t have many encounters each and every time he met with me he was kind and gave the award winning smile. I always appreciated his thoughtfulness and patience as I learned my job. My thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time. May the peace that passes all understanding be yours.
My sincerest condolences to your family. I had the pleasure of working with Kim over the last two years at the UA and will sincerely miss his spirit.
Serving with Kim in a number of projects, particularly related to ornithology and the Ozark Society Foundation, his intellect, wit, and approachability were always on display. Real prayers for comfort to all who loved him.
Dear Peggy, I also am so very sorry to hear about Kim. My sincere condolences to you and your family. I know you are surrounded by love at this difficult time.
Dear Peggy and Mallory,
It was with great sadness that I heard about Kim’s passing. I’m keeping both of you in prayers and thoughts. Kim did so much for so many people…its really amazing. He certainly changed my life when he wrote me saying he’d accept me as his grad student back in 1996 (I had sent my application to a different department within the university, which was rejected, but someone told him about me and he invited me to join his lab without ever meeting me). I certainly enjoyed the experience of working with Kim and learning so much from him. He was both a mentor and a friend whom I will never forget.
Peggy and Mallory, I think I understand your grief at the loss of your beloved husband and father. Kim was such a good friend to Woody and Woody admired him very much. I do remember that you, Peggy and Kim arrived in Fayetteville at almost the same time Woody and I and our family came in 1981. That is a lifetime ago and we all have made Fayetteville our home. Take care of yourselves as you both walk your journey of grief. It is a sad journey but much can be learned from it.
Peggy, Mallory and family, You are in our thoughts and hearts. Kim means so much to us both. We are here for you. Sending our love.
Peggy,
I am so sorry to hear of Kim’s passing. I will always remember him sitting in the back office of the AAC. He was a quiet man, but you always had a sense that there was something “cooking” in his head. This must be a shock to you and I send my sincerest sympathies. Find comfort in the memories that you shared with him. My thoughts and prayers are with you all during this difficult time.
Dear Peggy, You and Mallory have my sincerest and deeply felt condolences. Kim was an inspiration to me back in the day at Utah State. He helped me along more than he ever knew!
I will miss him!
Dr. Kim Smith was always very kind and engaging. As an undergraduate, I went on a trip to Belize with him. We went scuba diving there together. I work in the same building as him now and I was planning on sliding a note under his door with the link to a website that claims “birds aren’t real.” I thought he might find that very funny.
To Peggy Mallory and the rest of Kim’s family. In despite Kim was never my formal professor advisor or nothing He always was there for me with a word of wisdom or to teach me about the sistem or how to live in the USA He was a real support for an afraid forigin student That just say a little of how big soul he Had
Dear Peggy and Mallory,
I am so sorry to hear about your loss of Kim. My prayers and thoughts are with you and your family.
with sympathy,
Peggy and Mallory: I am so saddened by the loss of Kim, which I heard about at the AOS meeting in Tucson. Throughout the rest of the meeting, I kept expecting to see him there and felt such a profound loss (along with so many others of his friends and colleagues). My thoughts go out to you and the rest of your family – may you find peace and share the great memories. He will be sorely missed by many.
Peggy, I am very sorry to hear about Kim. My heart goes out to you and your family.
The loss of Kim has hit us hard in Massachusetts. As President of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, I wanted to tell the family that we mourn the loss of our member, friend, and colleague.
I am sure you realize the widespread connections that Kim had made throughout the world, and we will all miss him terribly. Condolences in these difficult times.
We knew Kim for more than 15 years. I (Michael) have published and traveled with him, and I would have loved to join him again on his travels. I admired Kim’s ability to work efficiently, to be concise in his writing, and always to the point in his communications. While he had a no-nonsense attitude in professional matters, he had quite a sense of humor, sometimes laconic, and it was always fun to talk to him and to be around him. This is also how Maggie remembers him, who has met Kim and enjoyed talking to him at many social events over the years. He will be sorely missed! A true loss for all who had the privilege to know him!
Our condolences to Kim’s family and friends. He lived life well — loved his family, loved ornithology and excelled in his research and teaching, and he exuded a rare and wonderful positiveness. We’ll miss him.
The passing of a citizen of the World… Kim, through his students, professional peers, family and friends will always be present in our World even though his sparkling persona is gone and will be sadly missed. What a wonderful and constructive life so well-lived! My condolences to family and friends.
Dear Peggy, I am so sorry for your loss. My deepest sympathies to you, Mallory and the rest of the family.
Dear Peggy,
David and I are sending our sincerest condolences to you, Mallory and rest of the family. Words will never suffice to ease your loss but know that we are here and you will be in out thoughts. Kim will be missed by many people who worked with him and knew him and his legacy will be embodied in all the students he mentored over many years.
Sincerely, Jeanne McLachlin
Dear Peggy,
Please accept our sincere condolences on your loss. Kim was a great colleague and a wonderful person. Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.
Kusum and Neel
So sorry to hear of Kim’s passing. I wish that he would have had some time to experience retirement. He was a good colleague and all around nice guy. I pray for comfort for his family and friends. Art Brown
As a friend of long-standing, I have wonderfully humorous recollections of Kim during several shared summers working as summer tour leaders at Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary on Cape Cod in the late 1960s. Many laughs were had, and many fine birding adventures were enjoyed. Through the years our irregular associations and not infrequent correspondences were always a delight, as were periodic meals shared with dear friends during his periodic visits to Massachusetts. Kim was a powerful and graceful figure and mentor to many in ornithology and beyond, and he will sorely be missed. My sincerest sympathy to Peggy and the rest of Kim’s family.
Kim was a wonderful person and a great colleague. My sincere condolences to Peggy and rest of the family.
I will miss Kim!
Peggy and family. So sorry to hear of your great loss. My prayers are with you. Cheryl Marshall-Clark
Kim was a bright light among our friends and colleagues. We will often think of him… from the days at Manomet to the many pleasant times together at bird meetings.
kindest regards, cj
Dear Peggy and all Friends and Family of Kim Smith,
I am so sorry to hear this sad news of Kim’s passing. I will always relish the wonderful time I spent with Kim and Peggy at their home enjoying a lovely dinner. I worked with Kim for OTS and always enjoyed his insights. He will be missed. RIP/DEP
Losing Kim came as a massive shock to me, both personally and professionally. He and I have shared great times and stories since early in our respective careers, and I’ve always considered him among my stalwart best friends in the AOU (now AOS). His role in our society was always active and constructive — often genuinely progressive. His breadth of experience lives on in the published record, and his career-long record of great mentorship of the next generations, will serve as a tremendous lasting legacy in ornithology. I mourn that I’ll no longer see his ruddy face and brilliant, blue-eyed smile at our annual meetings or special panels. To Peggy and his entire family, I send my heartfelt sympathies for your loss, and your grief. I share both of these with you.
It was certainly a shock to hear at the AOS meeting in Tucson last week that Kim would not be joining us. I first remember meeting Kim when he and Tom Sherry organized the NAOC meeting in New Orleans and they managed to host a very fine meeting despite the passing of a hurricane through the city! However last year Kim reminded me that we had both presented our first talks at the AOU meeting at Cape Cod in 1973, and that we should do so again in 2023, at the joint meeting of the 150th Nuttall Society and AOS meeting at Cape Cod. Kim got so many things done and always seemed to have time to talk and organize meetings. Kim made so many important contributions to ornithology and to ornithological societies. He will be sorely missed by the North American ornithological community.
Peggy,
I am so sorry to hear about this and my thoughts are with you and your family.
Kim was so important to me in my early stage of my career and I have used many of this ideas/thoughts through my 35+ years in academia. He constantly mentored me and his confidence in me greatly helped me throughout my career. I also remember with fondness your generosity of you and Kim hosting my Ph.D. graduation event. He was a great person and he will be missed!
Dr. Kannan, Anant,Pooja, David McNabb and study abroad staff met on Friday with the students planning for the Coastal Biology program in Belize which is still scheduled for next month. Without Kim this year, they are still determined to make it a cherished memory and complete success. The best tribute any of us could think of for Kim was to keep this program alive. The sadness and disbelief lingers for Kannan, Pooja and Anant, but meeting with the students and seeing their enthusiasm started the path of healing.
I will personally miss Kim very much. He so enjoyed taking students on adventures.
Dr. Smith inspired me. He was the very first professor who greeted me in my very first class at the University. He was easygoing but intellectually demanding. His passion for his work and his students was evident in everything he did.
As one of your former students, Kim, I say thank you, but that seems inadequate. I am forever in your debt.
Peggy: please accept my condolences and my wishes for peace at this difficult time. 100,000 blessings to you and your family.
Dear Peggy and Mallory;
We are so very sad to have learned of this terrible loss for you and your family.
Kim was a wonderful, cheerful and inspiring colleague. He had a very lasting positive impact on so many that will live on.
Our deepest condolences and wishes for comfort in this tough time.
Kim was kind to me when I was looking for a job many moons ago–gave me some useful advice and even recognized me out of a crowd in a busy airport. Condolences to the family.
So very sad to receive this news!! We knew Kim at Utah State University when we were all in grad school together. He was a tremendous role model and inspiration for me as a student. I cherished the discussions on road trips to professional meetings, that often continued after hours at the local taverns (yeah, even in Utah in the late 70s!). Getting together for CBCs was a real blast and inspired me to become a birder. His absolute dedication to birds and community ecology along with his sincerity, guidance and genuine kindness became one of my earliest images of professionalism. Kim was a definite class act!! It is my hope that these words will help bring peace and strength to Mallory (born while at USU!) and her family, and especially to Peggy who was such a close partner to this man for so long! Our thoughts are with you all and we will toast Kim tonite!
David and I were greatly saddened to hear about Kim’s death. I have many fond memories of all the discussions in the lab, bridge games with Kim, Eric and Don, and, of course, Jim’s parties. He will be missed by a wide circle of friends.
My sincerest condolences, Peggy. I have fond memories of Kim from our Utah State days, and especially our field work summers together up in the School Forest. Now more than ever the Dark-eyed Juncos feeding in our back-yard will bring Kim to mind. I had always thought of Kim when I went on my rather rare bird-watching adventures…wishing I had his ability to immediately know what species I was looking at or listening to. The news of Kim’s untimely passing was all the more shocking to me having only days earlier been thinking about him while “birding” for the first time in Europe. My thoughts are with you, Mallory, and the family during this sad and difficult time.
My deepest condolences to Kim’s family. Kim was very kind. Even after completing my degree and returning to Botswana, he was still supportive of my academic and professional development as he continued being my referee. We will miss him dearly. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
Dear Peggy
Our heart and prayers are with you at this unexpected chapter in lifes journey. You and Kim were such an encouragement to use and to all of us at BSU. We have many fond memories of Kim at Bridgewater and all he did to lift our hearts and lighten our spirits. Your care for Beth and me has never been forgotten an how you warmly sent us off to Nova Scotia on our first sabbatical. May the Lord hold you and lift you and carry you with all your fond memories of your time with Kim.
Dear Peggy
Our heart and prayers are with you as you travel through this difficult chapter of life’s journey. We have never forgotten your care and concern for us during your time at Bridgewater and Kim’s sabbatical here at BSU. Both of you shared your hearts in warmly sending us to Nova Scotia on our first sabbatical. May the Lord lift and carry you during this time as you reflect on all the wonderful memories you had together.
Peggy, I was so surprised and shocked to hear of Kim’s death at Bob’s memorial last Friday. Bob had an aneurysm rupture on Sunday, March 25,the day before we were to have lunch with you two. Three weeks later after surgery to repair it, he suffered a massive stroke. He died on the 17th up in Springfield, Missouri. We have since moved my parents to Logan. So I probably won’t catch up with you again. What a tough year this has been for all of us. My deepest sympathies. Kathy