Clarence Eugene Smith

Clarence E. Smith, known as Eugene to family and friends and Smitty to colleages, passed peacefully on to glory on Sunday, July 12, 2015. He was born in Caddo County, Oklahoma, on June 2, 1934, the eleventh of twelve children of Charlie and Lucy Smith. Eugene met his beloved wife, Evelyn “Jeanie” Shaffer Smith, while he was posted with the U. S. Air Force at Fort George G. Meade in Glen Burnie, MD, at a USO dance. They were married soon after on February 7, 1959. Thus began 56 years of blessed devotion to one another. They moved to Virginia in 1963 and settled in Vienna in 1972. They raised two children together, David Smith and Amy Webb

Before marrying Jeanie, as part of his work in Air Force Intelligence, Eugene was stationed in such diverse places as Alaska and the Philippines. After 9 years of service, the last 5 years of which he was assigned to the NSA, he left the Air Force in 1963 for medical reasons. He then began a distinguished 20-year career with the Central Intelligence Agency, holding such positions as Vice Chairman of the Committee on Imagery and Requirements and Exploitation, Deputy Chief of the Imagery Office, and Special Assistant to the Director of Central Intelligence. He was involved in many significant historical events, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis (for which he received an accommodation from President Kennedy for daily reports), the SALT Talks (for which he was a required participant as the CIA’s top authority on ABM technologies), and the Strategic Defense Initiative (“Star Wars”).

Upon his retirement from the CIA in 1983, he began another 20-year career in the private sector as a government consultant. He worked for Space Applications Corporation for 15 years, holding the position of Senior Vice President for National Intelligence, and sitting on the Board of Directors. When Emergent Information Technologies acquired SAC, he became the senior advisor for National Security projects, specializing in examining new technologies for their potential value. During that time, he continued to consult with the National Reconnaissance Office and other US government agencies on affairs of national security, as well as governments of foreign allies.

A long-time member of the Senior Intelligence Service, and a recipient of the CIA’s Distinguished Intelligence Medal (amongst numerous other awards, both civilian and military), he was also a member of the Defense Science Board, and was on the Board of Directors (and was Chairman for the Nominating Committee) for the Security Affairs Support Association. His participation in these and other Intelligence Community organizations was very important to him, and continued to the last months of his life. (He also told us he wrote 3 books, but since they are all classified no one in the family has read them or even knows the titles!)

After a second “retirement” in 2003, Eugene embarked on a third career as a businessman and investor, sitting on the boards of several companies. Eugene travelled frequently during his earlier careers, and that didn’t stop for this one, except that he was now able to frequently take Jeanie as his companion. They travelled to many interesting places, but enjoyed their yearly anniversary trips to Hawaii the most, often sharing those trips with Jeanie’s sister Betty and her husband, Dave.

The Smiths also faithfully attended Maranatha Baptist Church of Annandale, Virginia, for 18 years, where Eugene will be sorely missed by all the members and friends. His unfailing smile and zest for life, his prodigious ability to enjoy food, his encouraging nature, and his faithful care of the church flowerbeds will provide many happy memories of him for years to come.

Eugene never forgot his Oklahoma farm roots and was an avid gardener throughout his life. He enjoyed attending the annual Smith family reunions every August without fail. He is survived by his loving wife Jeanie; two brothers, Doyle Smith and Jim Smith; and two sisters, Dean Smith and Virginia Nachtigall; as well as three much-loved sisters-in-law: Gloria Smith, Jean Smith and Janie Smith. In addition to his two children, son David and his wife Darlene, and daughter Amy and her husband Brian, he is also survived by ten grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren, all of whom he loved, supported, encouraged and enjoyed as often as possible.