CSC graduate, former professor dies

Graveside services will be at 9 a.m. Saturday at Fairview Cemetery in Scottsbluff (just east of the hospital), followed by a celebration of her life at the VFW Post in Gering.

Smith earned a bachelor’s degree from Chadron State in 1970 and was hired by Bridgeport High School before she had completed her student teaching there. She coached the Bulldogs’ first girls’ volleyball and track and field teams. Her second track team in 1972 placed second at the state meet and the 1974 team won the championship.

She also earned a master’s degree from Chadron State in 1977.

She joined the CSC faculty in 1980 as a physical education instructor and remained in that capacity until 2005. She eventually was promoted to associate professor and became the department chairperson in 1987.

She also coached the CSC cross country team until the sport was discontinued in 1985 and was the women’s track coach for nine years. During that period, her athletes earned 17 Nebraska College Conference or NAIA District 11 championships and gained 14 All-American honors.

In 1985, she was Chadron State’s first recipient of the Burlington Northern Foundation Faculty Achievement Award. She developed and taught one of the few sports law courses offered at the undergraduate level at colleges comparable to CSC and served on national committees pertaining to equal opportunities for female.

Particularly after she stepped down from coaching, Ann served on numerous campus committees. She helped sponsor the Student Senate for approximately 15 years and was co-chairperson of homecoming several years.

During her phased retirement, Ann supervised student teachers as far away as Sheridan, Wyoming, to North Platte in nearly every subject area. She also worked at the Pine Ridge Job Corps Center for several years.

In the late 1990s, she became involved in Red Cross work to help keep Dawes County from losing its chapter. Two weeks after completing her first training session, she was rushed into duty when tornadoes struck the Pine Ridge Reservation. In the next decade, she helped operate the service centers following at least 15 more disasters, some as far away as Miami, Houston and New York City following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Ann’s roots were deep at Chadron State. Her mother and two aunts earned degrees from the college in the 1930s. Her sister, Joy Schoolcraft Peters of Bridgeport and daughter AnnDe also graduated from CSC. Their family received the Family Tree Award at CSC in the fall of 2000.

Her husband, Norman (Bud) Smith, died in 2007. Survivors include three children and their spouses, eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.