One of Colorado's most knowledgeable historians, Dr. Smith taught history classes at Fort Lewis since 1964 and is among the biggest supporters of Skyhawk athletics. Smith, who has been the faculty athletic representative for Fort Lewis since 1970, began his 41st year as a Fort Lewis faculty member in 2004. His classes on Colorado and Civil War history are among the most popular at the college. A diehard Chicago Cubs fan, Smith's innovative "History of Baseball Class" features a game played with 1800s rules for a final.
"For the past 40 years, Duane Smith has been Fort Lewis College's biggest supporter of intercollegiate athletics," said Chris Aaland, director of communications and publications and member of the Hall of Fame Selection Committee. "His leadership as faculty athletic representative and member of the Faculty Athletic Committee has been invaluable to countless presidents, athletic directors and other administrators. His knowledge of Fort Lewis student-athletes, coaches and teams has been equally important to the Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee. His passion for teaching has brightened the lives of thousands of students, many of whom were student-athletes. And his enthusiasm for Skyhawk athletics has set an example for other supportive faculty and staff members to follow. Although he is the third booster to be inducted into our Athletic Hall of Fame, I can think of nobody who shows more support for Fort Lewis teams than Duane. He is truly a most deserving Hall of Famer."
Smith is one of the most decorated professors in Colorado, winning the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Colorado Professor of the Year award in 1990. The Colorado Endowment for the Humanities honored Smith with the award for Outstanding Achievement in the Humanities in 1989. He has also received the 1987 Fred A. Rosenstock Award for Outstanding Contributions to Rocky Mountain and Western History and the 1981 American Association for State and Local History Award for Contributions to the History of the Rocky Mountain West. His peers chose him as the recipient of Fort Lewis College's Alice Admire Award for Outstanding Teaching in 1978, and he has been a finalist for that honor numerous times. He was twice chosen by the senior class to be commencement speaker, in 1990 and 1993. Smith received the Fort Lewis College Alumni Recognition Award at the school's Annual Alumni Gathering in August 2000.
Over the years, he has continued to teach a full class load while writing or editing more than 40 books and dozens of articles in professional journals. Among his most recent works are San Juan Gold, Sacred Trust - revised through present day, A Visit with the Tomboy Bride, and his newest book which is due out next fall, A Time for Peace - A History of Fort Lewis as a Military Post.
In 1995, the Durango Area Chamber and Resort Association (DACRA) chose Smith as its Citizen of the Year and he was awarded the Durango Forestry Award in 2000.
In addition to his teaching and civic duties, Smith also served as a coach during the formative years of women's athletics at Fort Lewis. He spent the 1968-69 season as the women's basketball club's head coach, leading the team to a winning season.
Smith received his bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1959, 1961 and 1964.
