Rev. Philip A. Smith

Providence--Smith, Rev. Philip Alphonsus, O.P., 74, of Providence, eleventh president of Providence College from1994 to 2005, died unexpectedly at Rhode Island Hospital on Sunday, November 4, 2007. Born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, on September 6, 1933, he was the fourth of six children of the late Philip and May (Byrne) Smith. Educated at Webster Corner School, East Augustus, and St. Dunstan's School, Charlottetown, he worked on his family's farm and was employed in several different jobs before enrolling at Providence College in 1959. He entered the novitiate of the Dominican Friars (Order of Preachers), Province of St. Joseph, at St. Joseph Priory, Somerset, OH, in August of 1961 and made his first religious profession there on August 16, 1962. For the next three years, he studied philosophy at St. Stephen Priory, Dover, MA, where he received bachelor and master degrees. His theological studies took place at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC, from 1965 to 1969, where he earned a pontifical baccalaureate and lictentiate in sacred theology and the Dominican Order's lectorate in sacred theology. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest at St. Dominic Church, Washington, DC, on June 13, 1968. In 1969, he was assigned to St. Gertrude Priory, Cincinnati, OH, where he served in the parochial ministry for one year. In 1970, he was assigned to Caldwell College, Caldwell, NJ, where he taught philosophy for eleven years. In 1974, he began a doctoral program at Drew University in Madison, NJ, receiving a Ph.D. in philosophy and religion in 1981. He was then assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas Priory at Providence College, where he taught in the philosophy department until 1990. He served as special assistant to the president of Providence College from 1982-1985 and as a visiting professor of theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (the Angelicum) in Rome, Italy, from 1988 to 1989. In 1990, he was appointed president of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC, serving for four years until his election as eleventh president of Providence College in 1994. During his presidency, he helped the College achieve a reputation as a premier Roman Catholic liberal arts institution, enhanced the quality and diversity of the faculty, and oversaw the development of the College's first strategic plan. Notable new construction during his years in office included St. Dominic Chapel and the Smith Center for the Arts, named for him by the PC Board of Trustees. When Fr. Smith left office in 2005, he was awarded the Veritas Medal from Providence College, its highest honor. Also in 2005, he received an honorary doctorate of divinity from Brown University and an honorary doctorate of laws from Caldwell College. On May 15, 2005, the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations celebrated Rev. Philip A. Smith Day. Following a year's sabbatical, he returned to the classroom at Providence College in September 2006. In addition to his teaching and academic administration, Fr. Smith authored books and numerous articles, especially in the area of bio-medical ethics. He was active in many ecclesiastical and civic organizations, among them the St. Joseph Hospital Board of Trustees, Diocese of Providence Bioethics Committee, Providence Public Library Board of Trustees, Health and Education Leadership for Providence Coalition Board of Directors, Rhode Island Independent Higher Education Association Board of Trustees, Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council Board of Trustees, Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, American Cancer Society of Rhode Island, National Conference of Christians and Jews of Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts Region Board of Trustees, Bank Boston Board of Directors, and Sovereign Bank Board of Directors. Fr. Smith is survived by his sister, Bertha C. Smith Dunn of Somerville, Prince Edward Island, his brothers Elmer V. Smith of Ottawa, Ontario, and Kenneth J. Smith of London, Ontario, and many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews. He was predeceased by his sister Edith A. Smith Carragher and his brother Earl P. Smith. His body will be received at the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary in the Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas at Providence College at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 8. A wake will follow, concluding with the Office of the Dead at 7:00 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for him on Friday, November 9, at 10:00 a.m., in St. Dominic Chapel at Providence College. Burial will follow in the Dominican Friars' Cemetery on campus. Donations in his memory may be made to Providence College, c/o Office of Institutional Advancement, 549 River Avenue, Providence, RI 02918, for the Rev. Philip A. Smith, O.P., Scholarship Fund. Arrangements by Russell J. Boyle&Son Funeral Home.