Irving Fine and Robert W. Smith correspondence, 2013 - 2016

File — Box: 6

Identifier: MSS-SM 038

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of correspondence between professors Irving Fine of Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana and Robert W. Smith of Alma College in Alma, Michigan. They met in 1984 while Smith was on sabbatical in Indianapolis and maintained a correspondence for many years. Fine was a professor of Spanish and Smith a professor of Speech Communication. Fine was Jewish and Smith was Christian, and they discuss ideas of theology based on their religion and backgrounds. They also address academia, family life, politics, and growing older.

Dates

Creation: 2013 - 2016

Creator

Fine, Irving, 1922-2018 (Person)
Smith, Robert W., 1926-2024 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. When requesting access to a small collection, please include the File Identifier (eg. MSS-SM ###) in your request.

Biographical / Historical

Irving Fine (1922-2018) was born in New York City. He served in the Pacific theater during World War II and enrolled in New York University upon his return to the United States, where he studied modern languages, focusing on Spanish. He obtained both his bachelor’s and master's degrees from New York University and his PhD from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He began teaching at Butler in 1963 and passed away in Annapolis, Maryland in 2018.

Robert W. Smith (1926-2024) was born near Kokomo, Indiana. Although he enlisted in the Navy during World War II, he was not deployed; he was deployed as a hospital corpsman during the Korean War. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Southern California before receiving his PhD in Speech Communication from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He taught at Alma College in Michigan from 1962 until his retirement in 1992. He passed away in Northfield, Michigan in 2024.

Extent

0.1 Linear Feet (1 folder)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Robert W. Smith donated this collection to Butler University Libraries in 2017.

Bibliography

“Irving Fine Obituary 2018,” Flanner Buchanan Cremation Burial website, accessed May 28, 2024, https://www.flannerbuchanan.com/obituaries/irving-fine

“Robert Smith Obituary,” Legacy website, accessed May 28, 2024, https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/themorningsun/name/robert-smith-obituary?id=54151211