Dr. Alan William Smolowe

In his younger years, he dominated on the tennis court and drew whistle calls as he wedeled his way down the fault lines of black-diamond ski trails. In his middle years, he founded real estate companies and charter schools for students with learning disabilities. And in his later years, he devoted himself to caring for his wife, son and parents. All along that trajectory, Alan William Smolowe delighted family, friends and colleagues with his keen intellect and wicked sense of humor.

On January 22, Smolowe, died at Novant Forsyth Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC, following a massive stroke. He was 69. “Alan was that rarest of older brothers, always supportive, never competitive,” said his sister Jill Smolowe. “He radiated kindness and compassion.”

Born in 1953, Smolowe grew up in Westport, Ct., the oldest of four siblings. At Staples High School, he was a standout athlete on the soccer field, the ski slope and the tennis court. During summers he taught tennis to students that included Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford. “Alan was a natural athlete,” said his brother Jonathan. “He was a dominant tennis player, graceful skier and always a pleasure to watch.”

After graduating from Lehigh University with both a BA and an MBA, Smolowe embarked on a marketing career that included brand management for Playtex, Nestle and Jeno’s, for which he relocated to Florida. The move ignited his interest in commercial real estate, leading in 1984 to his co-founding of Greater Florida Development, a business with an emphasis on strip shopping center development. Two years later he founded the Rothschild Development Corp., which combined his marketing and real estate talents to provide clients with marketing, business and strategic plans.

A decade later, Smolowe’s insatiable curiosity propelled him into the education field. In 1998 he received a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Orlando, followed two years later by an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Barry University. His accomplishments in the education field included the co-founding of Summit Charter Schools, an enterprise that involved the opening of three Florida schools over 12 years dedicated to serving elementary and middle school students who struggled with learning challenges.

Deborah Romano, an education colleague, once described his efforts as “intelligent, imaginative, creative and caring,” and Smolowe himself as “that one role model that students crave, that one person who cares enough to make a difference.”

In his later years, despite battling chronic pain caused by arthritis and immune deficiencies, Smolowe relocated with his wife, Lou Anna, and his son, Louis, to Clemmons, North Carolina, to care for his aging parents. His father, Richard, died in 2018; his mother, Greta, in 2010. That same year, he also lost his baby sister, Ann, to colon cancer.

Smolowe is survived by, Lou Anna, 60, his wife of 24 years; and his son Louis, 22, a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is also survived by his sister Jill of Little Falls, N.J., his brother Jonathan of Elkins Park, Pa., and six nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the following food bank charity to continue the fight against food insecurity:

Second Harvest Food Bank of NorthWest North Carolina

www.secondharvestnwnc.org.