Lee Arthur Smith II

How can you prepare for the end of a life?

My dear sweet man left us Friday Aug 16, 2024 - to go on to his next journey.

To say his absence leaves a deafening silence in the world, to say his love knew no bounds, to say his stubbornness carried him through, all seems to dim the light that was his shooting star in this universe. But those are truths.



When the service took him away, they left a plastic, red, scented rose on the pillow where he last lay. He would have bristled at the gesture. It was appropriate.

Lee Smith - my husband - my lover - my best friend - my green eyes - my sweet baby - my pup.

Our world is cut in half.

How can you summarize a person in a few paragraphs?

On Friday, August 16, 2024, Professor Lee Smith passed away after a multiyear struggle with cancer. Professor Lee specialized in theatre, holding a BS in Theatre from the University of Louisville and a M.F.A. in Screenwriting from the University of Southern California. Professor Smith's career took him all over the United States and the world as a student, a performer, a writer, director, media artist and educator. He published numerous works of short fiction in American and European anthologies. His screenplay SEEPAGE! was filmed and released on the Sci-Fi channel. His work appeared at the New York International Fringe Festival, New Orleans International Fringe, FringeWilmington, the Virginia Stage Company, Core Theatre Ensemble, as well as staged readings at Arkansas Rep and Actors Theatre of Louisville. Lee worked in television on such shows as The X Files and Millennium, The Primetime Emmy Awards, The TV Guide Awards, Star Trek, the Learning Channel and HGTV.

Lee Smith began teaching in the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts at Old Dominion in 2008 and his contributions were felt not only in the classroom. Professor Smith contributed to many productions as a designer during his time. Professor Smith also directed and adapted works for ODU productions: Faust, The Outsider, The Idiots Karamazov, Titus Andronicus, and aDreamPlay. Before his time at Old Dominion, he worked as an educator at Bellarmine University, the University of Georgia, and at Jefferson Community college as part of the Kentucky State Prison Program. At each opportunity, Professor Smith brought with him significant production knowledge from his time working in television. Lee was also a writer who adapted texts such as a New Orleans-based version of Alice in Wonderland to the stage and traveled internationally to present his work, The Death of Thomas Edison. Smith also published a number of articles and pushed himself to work with interactive media forms. He and his partner were the 2017 USITT Professional Winners in Projections for Tupac Martir's Lux Festival in Cartagena, Columbia, was honorable mention at the 15 Festival of New Media, Visual Art & Efemera in Prague and included at the Georgia Museum of Art Kress Collection. Finally, Lee Smith was deeply embedded in the Hampton Roads theatrical community, as a writer, director, projection designer and as artistic director of the Norfolk-based Warehouse of Theatre.

Lee is preceded in death by his parents, Nell and Lee Smith, his oldest sister Terry Lee O'Neal, his father-in-law Charles Hammond and his sister-in-law Nila Hammond Jaeger.

Lee is survived by his wife, soulmate, and partner Katherine Hammond. His sisters, Sandra Smith Veltman and Deborah Jo Bindner. His family-in-law Louise Hammond, Charles Hammond, John Jaeger, and his nieces and nephews who he adored including Ashleigh Hammond Gootee, Heather Hammond, Jacob Hammond, Gillian Jaeger, Ben Bobbitt, Tony Bobbitt, Scott Shuffitt, Lisa Cooper, Eddie O'Neal, Jr., Brian O'Neal, Rob and Steve and Shawn Bindner, Jude and Zoe Shuffitt, Corey O'Neal and Daniel Veltman.

Lee Smith was known for his unique personality and the standards he set for himself and his students. Lee Smith was an artist who hated the word "artist," whose authenticity, realness and humor were unparalleled. He left an indelible impression on family, students and colleagues alike. We were lucky to have him in our lives.

And he was so much more than his career - thank you dear Erlene Hendrix for this addition:

Lee accomplished so much, creating even more than I already knew about. His energy was amazing. But one thing I also love about him was that he enjoyed using his skills and imagination to transform his house and garden, digging fish ponds, crawling under the house to do needed work in a snaky environment, climbing into the attic to fix electrical stuff, planting flowers and vines, building that magical fence that Jon Plante mentioned, and even after he was struggling with his health, sanding and beautifully refinishing the wood floors. He was an amazing bundle of energy with a big heart and a great sense of humor and the ability to use words in an astonishing way. He felt deeply and he didn't hide what he felt. His devotion to Katherine was complete, as was hers for him. My friend Lee, I miss you and that amazing bundle of creative energy that was you.