Julian C. Smith Jr.

Julian C Smith Obituary

Professor Emeritus Julian Cleveland Smith, Jr, died peacefully after a
short illness, on 30 August 2015 at Kendal Ithaca, his home for the
last fifteen years.

Julian was born in Montreal, Canada, on March 10, 1919, the last of
four children of American parents, Julian C. Smith, Sr, and Bertha
Louise Alexander Smith. He was educated at Westmount High School and
Phillips Exeter Academy before studying engineering at Cornell, taking
the his Bachelor of Chemistry degree in 1941 and the Masters degree of
Chemical Engineer in 1942. At this point he chose his American
citizenship from his Canadian or American options.

During the Second World War he worked for the Dupont Company in
Wilmington, Delaware on war work, including time on the Manhattan
Project. He also met his future wife, Joan Dolores Elsen. They married
in Wilmington on June 1, 1946.

He was invited to take up the post of Assistant Professor in Chemical
Engineering at Cornell in 1946. He and his new bride moved to Ithaca
that year where they remained for the rest of their lives. Joan Elsen
Smith died in 2003 after a marriage of 57 years. Julian served as
Associate and then Full Professor in 1953. He became Director of
Continuing Education for the Engineering College in 1965, and Director
of Engineering in 1975, returning to teaching in 1983 and finally
retiring in 1986. He was a joint author of the internationally
important textbook, Unit Operations in Chemical Engineering and made
contributions to another five books as well as authoring 50 technical
articles. At the end of the last revision of the textbook, the
publisher was pushing him to meet a deadline. 'I am 85, you know,' he
said. They didn't!

Prof Lynden Archer, the current Director of Biomolecular and Chemical
Engineering, said,

'Julian was a giant among educators in our field. He was also a
crucial, skillful force in shaping the department into the vibrant
place it has become for teaching rising number of undergraduate
students the principles of chemical engineering and for discovery of
new paradigms that are defining the frontiers of the field. He defined
the strong foundation, during his period as Director, for the School's
balanced focus on graduate research and undergraduate teaching that
frames its programs today.'

Julian was a Cornell man first and last. His parents were both Cornell
graduates, father Julian senior in 1900, and mother Bertha in 1901. At
least another ten relatives from the 1860's to the present day have
attended Cornell including Julian's son, Brian Smith, and grandson,
Daniel Smith.

Smith was a valued consultant to DuPont for decades, and to various
government agencies. In Ithaca, he has served in leadership roles with
the Ithaca Opera Association, the United Way and the Cerebral Palsy
Association, to name just a few; he also was an elder of the First
Presbyterian Church of Ithaca, where he sang in the choir for almost
50 years. In retirement, Julian was a member of many committees,
academic, social and charitable, including work on the redevelopment
of the Reconstruction Home.

He also engaged in a number of hobbies, taking many of them to
semi-professional levels. His documented land snail collection is now
part of the research materials at the Paleontological Research
Institution. His Canadian stamp collection won international prizes.
He contributed another volume to the Smith family tradition of writing
genealogical works, and, confirmed his early Puritan Smith ancestry by
taking part in the Smith DNA project. He had a passion for golf which
continued with watching the professionals on television long after he
was too unsteady to swing a club. He was almost certainly the oldest
member of the Ithaca Country Club. He wrote and published their
history, Breaking Ninety.

He loved travelling and went on many worldwide adventures, his last
being a European river cruise in the spring of this year.

Julian was a very capable musician, playing classical piano and wrote
more than just technical texts. He had a light-hearted side, being a
member of the Savage Club while a student and rejoining in his
forties, remaining a member to the end. His humorous compositions,
both words and music, in the style of Flanders and Swann, were a
feature of many a Savage Club performance.

He is survived by son Robert Elsen Smith, daughter-in-law Donna Chuzi,
grandson Daniel Worthington Smith, daughter Diane Louise Brook,
son-in-law David Charles Brook, granddaughters Joanna Katherine Brook
and Lisa Margaret Brook, and son Brian Richard Smith, daughter-in-law
Kim Kristie Veronica McClain, and granddaughter Celeste Juliana Smith.
He is also survived by nephews, nieces, their families, and cousins.

The funeral will take place on September 5, 2015 with private
interment at 9 am at Calvary Cemetery, Ithaca, followed by calling
hours at Bangs Funeral Home from 10:30 to noon.

A memorial service will be held at Kendal Ithaca at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the PRI or the Savage
Club in Julian's name.












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