Thomas Austin Smith

Dr. Thomas Austin Smith passed away December 9, 2024, at the age of 85. He was born in Bluffton, Indiana, on January 2, 1939, to David Austin Smith and Ninetta Smith (nee Boltin). As a child, he lived in Warren, Indiana, where his father was principal of the school. He later lived in Albany, Indiana, and then Lynn, Indiana, when his father assumed respective school administrative positions as principal. In Lynn he met his future wife, Janice Edwards. He attended DePauw University on a Rector Scholarship where he majored in physics and mathematics. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1961.

Tom and Janice were married on August 19, 1961, and began their lives together in Lafayette, Indiana. He entered Purdue University’s clinical psychology program, receiving his doctorate in 1968. Upon completion of his doctoral degree, he became the supervisor of school psychological services for the Indiana Department of Education. From that position he moved to an assistant professorship at Indiana University where he was head of the psychology portion of a three year grant to apply the CIPP Model of Evaluation to selected elementary schools throughout southern Indiana. That position was followed by becoming director of Indiana University Pupil Personnel Services Training Satellite. In 1972, he returned to Lafayette, Indiana, to become the chief psychologist of the Lafayette School Corporation. In that position he consulted with administrators and classroom teachers concerning a wide variety of psychological issues in educating youth from kindergarten through high school. In 1975 he became the director of child and adolescent services and chief of psychology for the Wabash Valley Hospital Mental Health Center. In 1980 he was named associate administrator of the hospital. Throughout his career he served as a consultant to a number of organizations and agencies among which were Family Service Agency of Tippecanoe County, Mental Health Clinic of Monroe County, and Juvenile Parolee Project of IUPUI and Indianapolis Public Schools. While in Bloomington, Indiana, he was the consulting school psychologist for Richland-Beanblossom School Corporation, Ellettsville schools, and Brown County Community Schools. Beginning in 1974, he engaged in part time private practice with Psychological Associates of Indianapolis, Inc. In Lafayette he practiced in association with Dr. Lee Ratcliffe. In 1989 he began his own full time private practice for individual therapy, served various nursing homes and their residents, consulted with the Indiana Division of Mental Health, and did extensive client evaluations for criminal defense attorneys. The last few years or so of his career were devoted solely to diagnostic evaluations for the Disability Determination Bureau. He pursued his career to the end, doing his last patient evaluations for that agency on November 12, 2024.

Throughout his career Dr. Smith participated in a number of professional organizations. He was president of the Indiana Psychological Association in 1983, and a member of the Indiana State Board of Examiners in Psychology from 1971through 1976. He belonged to the American Psychological Association and was the Indiana Delegate to Division 31. He presented papers at the psychology conventions from time to time. He also was a presenter at the National Association of School Psychologists.

In his personal life Dr. Tom enjoyed participating in sports as well as watching them. In high school he was adept at basketball, baseball, and track with hurdles being a specialty. In his early adulthood he would don the black and white stripes to referee basketball games in Indiana schools. He coached a Pony League baseball team, taking them to regional tournaments. He frequently pulled his golf bag and clubs over the local courses. He was a drummer in high school and sang bass in a couple choirs. He was an accomplished chef when it came to preparing various meats for the table. He was an avid reader, finishing a couple books a week, devouring a number of magazines, and stringing newspapers from room to room, much to his wife’s chagrin. He had a wry sense of humor, was sensitive, and considerate. His family would inform he was not short of well thought out opinions. With all of that said, he was really a rather shy and introspective person.

Dr. Smith was preceded in death by his father, David Austin Smith, mother, Ninetta Smith, two siblings who died at birth, and two paternal aunts, Grace Smith and Frances Smith, from Wells County, Indiana. He is survived by his wife, Janice Edwards Smith, daughter Sheryl Suzanne Smith Weaver (Geoffrey), and daughter Susan Michelle Smith Goelzer (Gregory). He is also survived by his six grandchildren: Suzanne Michelle Hays Bailey (Matty); John Francis Hays, III; Thomas Austin Smith Hays (Caley); Spencer Edward Price; Katherine Jane Price (Sam); and Lucy Edwards Price. He is survived as well by his step grandchildren, Jessica Weaver, Alexander Weaver (Julia), Megan Barrett (Gene), and William Goelzer (Allison).

At Dr. Smith’s request, the sole service will be a private gathering of his immediate family. His wife and daughters request no flowers or planters be sent. Dr. Smith was grateful for the opportunity of being a Rector Scholar at DePauw University and expressed a desire that any donations friends and associates may want to make be made to that scholarship fund, so future qualified youth may also benefit from that same educational experience as he did.

Donations can be made at www.depauw.edu/give in memory of Thomas A. Smith, class of 1961.