{"id":144651,"date":"2021-07-03T22:01:26","date_gmt":"2021-07-04T08:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=144651"},"modified":"2021-07-06T15:24:54","modified_gmt":"2021-07-07T01:24:54","slug":"in-memoriam-barbara-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/07\/03\/in-memoriam-barbara-smith\/","title":{"rendered":"In memoriam: Barbara Smith, ethnomusicology program founder"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Barbara
Barbara Bernard Smith celebrates her 100th birthday via video conference. (Photo: Linda Adamson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Long respected as a champion for the study of music and dance from Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, Asia and the Pacific, University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa Professor Emerita Barbara Barnard Smith<\/strong>, who founded the university\u2019s ethnomusicology program<\/a> died on the evening of July 3. Colleagues and former students gathered to virtually celebrate the veteran professor\u2019s 101st birthday on June 10.<\/p>\n

Loved ones released this statement:
\n“She was a beloved colleague, teacher, mentor, and friend. Although we are saddened by her passing, we honor and celebrate a life well lived. One of her requests (instructions!) was ‘…and be sure to emphasize my long and amazingly wonderful life.’”<\/p>\n

Barbara Smith turns 100: The legacy of a long life in music<\/a>
—June 8, 2020<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Barbara was not only one of our most influential academic leaders but a highly engaged community member in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and throughout the region,” said UH<\/abbr> President David Lassner<\/strong>. “I\u2019m one of the many whose life was touched by her work here. And her remarkable year-long 100th birthday celebration demonstrated just how deep her impact was around the world.”<\/p>\n

“Barbara Smith was an extraordinary person who has touched so many lives as a mentor, an advocate for minority cultures, and a generous philanthropist,” said UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Ethnomusicology and Asian Studies Professor Emeritus Ricardo D. Trimillos<\/strong>, one of Smith\u2019s first graduate students. “For me she was all these, but above all she was a dear friend. Her passing is not a time for sadness, but a time to honor and celebrate a life well lived.”<\/p>\n

“The Music Department is saddened by the recent news of Professor Barbara Smith\u2019s passing. Professor Smith was to say the least an institution at the UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Music Department,” said Laurence Paxton<\/strong>, Music Department chair. “Barbara established the ethnomusicology program here in the department. She then worked tirelessly to establish this new and vibrant field of study nationally and then internationally. The reputation of our ethnomusicology program soon received an international reputation around the world as the finest and most prestigious school of its kind. We here in the department celebrate Professor Smith\u2019s accomplishments and salute her for a “life well lived.” Her influence on students was extraordinary and her guidance and mentoring of new faculty in this field was legendary. <\/p>\n

”Now it is our responsibility in our department, UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa and with all the UH<\/abbr> campuses to continue her work and ensure that this program of cultural study continues to flourish far into the future. I, the music faculty and students will continue to remind everyone that the study of “world music” is an integral part of our mission here at UH<\/abbr>. We will also encourage interdisciplinary studies with other likewise departments whose programs align with this important mission, aiding in building a robust reputation as a university of diversity, inclusion and celebration of the cultural arts of all nations. Barbara Smith began this auspicious work and now we need to maintain its validity and support its growth!” said Paxton.<\/p>\n

Barbara B. Smith\u2019s legacy<\/h2>\n
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Smith’s faculty photo taken in 1960. (Photo credit: Miyamoto Photograph Collection, Archives & Manuscripts, UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Library)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A native of California, Smith began her career at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa in 1949 teaching piano and music theory, after earning her master\u2019s degree in music literature from the Eastman School of Music. She then became interested in her students\u2019 diverse ethnic backgrounds, but realized that what they were learning was limited to Euro-American culture.<\/p>\n