Hall of Fame 2024

Don was brought up on a farm halfway between Whitehall and Ticonderoga. Fresh fruits and vegetables were the order of the day. He graduated from Whitehall High in 1954 and started classes at Paul Smith’s the following September, majoring in Restaurant/Hospitality Management department. He immediately fell in love with Paul Smith’s. The location, the faculty, his classmates. Later in life he would serve as a College Trustee from 1973 to 1993. And as Chairman of the Board from 1985 to 1993.

After graduating from 冰球突破mg平台 in 1956, he went on to Denver University and graduated in 1959.

Don soon went to work as a Manager Trainee for Howard Johnson’s parent company in Utica, NY. Within a few months, he was promoted to full manager and would learn many years later that this restaurant he was managing was the second most profitable restaurant in the company.

In November 1960, he was promoted to Regional Supervisor of the Chicago/Mid-West area. After five years in this position, he was transferred to California as District Manager and started opening restaurants up and down the west coast. During his 10 years with HoJo’s, he worked in 62 different cities in 13 different states.

When the Johnson family sold the restaurant company, Don decided it was time to go on his own. He bought an established “landmark” restaurant in Plattsburgh, NY:  The Royal Savage Inn. It was in Plattsburgh for the next 30 years that he would marry Barbara Lecky, buy another restaurant, build another new restaurant, and own several small motels.

It was also here in 1973 that he was invited to become a member of the Board of Trustees of Paul Smith’s College, another job he loved. In 1985, he became Chairman of the Board until he retired from the Board in 1993.

After the Plattsburgh Air Force Base closed in the late 1990’s, he sold his restaurants and relocated to the Albany Capitol District.  There he worked as Director of Membership for many years for the New York State Restaurant Association.

He retired from there in 2010 and moved to Port Charlotte, FL where he became Chairman of the local SCORE chapter.

Don lives in the Capitol District in Clifton Park, where he is sharing his retirement with his wife Barbara.

Cheryl graduated from the State University of New York at Brockport with her BA in English, and from Plattsburgh State with her MS in Counseling. She is a National Certified Counselor and a NYS Licensed Counselor. She taught high school, and at NCCC, and was a Psych Social worker before starting at 冰球突破mg平台 as Director of the first Counseling and Career Center in 1985. Later it became the Student Development Center and included Health and Wellness.

Soon after arriving at Paul Smith’s, she found herself in the middle of the 冰球突破mg平台 Job Fair.  Paul Sorgule initiated it with 11 companies. Under her leadership it grew to over 100 companies and thousands of students received jobs, resulting in 98% job placement. Part of that effort was using grant funds to purchase the first ever computers for student use as they accessed the employer database.

With Pat Flath and Alan Steinberg, Cheryl was instrumental in starting the first Learning Resource Center, and with John Radigan, initiating the program for students with special needs resulting in hiring Carol Lamb and the creation of the Center for Accommodative Services. She served as the first counselor for the HEOP program, and later helped write the grant that started TRIO.

For an academic year Cheryl served as Interim Vice President of Campus Life. She worked for the Narcotic and Drug Research Center as a trainer and was on the State Alcohol Task Force.

However, Cheryl’s first love and passions were the students. Over the years she counseled thousands of them through depression, relationships, parental divorce, family deaths and much, much more. She guided the campus through responses to tragedies, and three fires. She is still filled with joy as she sees so many students who struggled so happy today with their lives and families.

Cheryl trained hundreds of RAs, and both helped start and taught in First Year Seminar. She also taught Psychology and co-taught Women’s Studies. She was Director of Orientation for many years, and so enjoyed getting students and their parents bonded with 冰球突破mg平台. With Bill Farnham, she started the first LGBTQ club for students and initiated Lavender Graduation.

Currently, Cheryl is a Lawn Chair Lady, on the Board of the Adult Center, runs Alternatives to Violence workshops at FCI Ray Brook, is a member of Woman’s CIVIC Chamber and the IPW 101 (Ice Palace Workers), helps out at Pendragon, is an avid paddler and gardener, and makes rustic furniture.

Doug who is an Army Veteran enrolled at Paul Smiths College in 1973. He and Jan moved to Saranac Lake and as a student veteran’s wife, Dr. Buxton offered Jan a job in the Registrars Office. The 冰球突破mg平台 community welcomed and embraced both of them.

In 1977, Doug returned to the campus as a member of the faculty. Teaching, caring for the lands and living on campus created a permanent bond with the college. During this time Doug promoted the development of the Adirondack Park VIC on 冰球突破mg平台 lands.

Doug later accepted a career position with the Department of Environmental Conservation. When construction of the VIC began, he was assigned to lead the trail building effort.

At the DEC, Doug managed a number of Forest Preserve Campgrounds and took a lead role in the administration of the Nature Recreation Program. He became a regular at the 冰球突破mg平台 Job Fairs, recruiting some of the best students the College had to offer.

Doug remained engaged with academic programs at 冰球突破mg平台 by serving as a guest lecturer, program advisor and Capstone mentor. He was regularly on campus serving as Scoutmaster for the Paul Smith’s Boy Scout Troop.

Doug strongly advocated for the preservation of the St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower. Since 2014 he has led the efforts to restore the tower and develop an educational program around it. 冰球突破mg平台 has become a partner in these efforts and provides Summit Stewards on St. Regis Mountain during the summer.

Doug is a volunteer at the 冰球突破mg平台 VIC, leading hikes, doing trail maintenance, developing displays, training staff and providing advice.

As a 冰球突破mg平台 Forest Advisory Board member, Doug has cataloged and inventoried college lands and backcountry recreational facilities. He likes to get his hands dirty taking care of the college lean-tos and always the teacher, he readily shares his knowledge with other Smitties.

Founding Member of Paul Smith’s College

Horace H. Lamberton was born in 1881 on a farm in Clinton County and received his primary education in the rural schools.  In 1906 he graduated from Potsdam Normal School and took graduate work in Michigan and Columbia Universities.

For several years he taught in the rural schools of Clinton County and in 1918 he was appointed principal of Chateauguay High School where he served for two years.  In 1920 he was elected Superintendent of Schools of Malone, NY and became Principal of Franklin Academy.

Paul Smith’s College students probably best knew him as the head of the Board of Trustees of 冰球突破mg平台. In his capacity as Chairman of the board, Mr. Lamberton has this to say of Paul Smith’s: “I believe it is the greatest opportunity in the country, as it offers a work-study program which, in my opinion, is essential to a well-balanced education.”

Horace passed away in March of 1969.

Ruth M. Smith
Ruth was brought up in the small town of Weston, Massachusetts, where she enjoyed lots of outdoor time and pursued a variety of sports.   She attended the University of New Hampshire, graduating with a major in biology and a minor in education.  After a couple of years working in biomedical research, Ruth earned a Master of Science degree from the Harvard School of Public Health, focusing on microbiology.  During that time in graduate school, she met Craig Smith while skiing in Killington, Vermont, and after they had both finished their graduate degrees, they moved to Saranac Lake.

After a short time again doing biomedical research, Ruth began teaching Food Service Sanitation to hospitality and culinary arts students at Paul Smith’s College in 1976.  Her environmental focus eventually led to teaching Introduction to Environmental Microbiology, along with work in biology and chemistry labs.  In addition to teaching, Ruth served in various faculty leadership positions and coordinated the successful completion of the application to New York State Department of Education for the baccalaureate degree programs at Paul Smith’s.

Ruth and Craig were married and raised their daughters, Molly and Norah, in the log home they built on the Harrietstown Hill, along with summers on Birch Island.  Together, their family enjoyed all the adventures and activities that the Adirondacks have to offer, and they visit each other often to continue those great times together.

Craig W. Smith
Craig was born and raised in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he spent a lot of time with friends living in the Kingwood Park neighborhood.  When Craig was ten, his parents bought a camp on Birch Island on Upper Saranac Lake, where he spent summers ever since.  After graduating from the Oakwood School, Craig enrolled at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, majoring in electrical engineering; after completing his undergraduate degree, he went on to earn master’s and Ph.D. degrees at R.P.I.  During his time in graduate school, Craig also taught a variety of engineering and math courses, and still found time to ski at Killington, Vermont, where he met Ruth Smith.  After they had both finished their graduate degrees, they moved to Saranac Lake.

Spring, 1975, was the second year of the new Ecology and Environmental Technology major at Paul Smith’s College, and there were two required science courses that had no assigned instructor.  After a fortuitous conversation at a holiday party, Craig was offered an interview with Dr. Chester Buxton and was hired to teach Wastewater Operations and Introduction to Environmental Engineering.  He eventually added courses in physics and advanced math to his offerings and pursued sabbatical opportunities to enhance his teaching with a focus on activity-based learning.  Craig also served in various faculty leadership positions at the college.

Craig’s Retirements from teaching has been very active, working hard to keep up with his wife Ruth, and their children and grandchildren.

In the 1950s, Paul Smith’s College became a pivotal transition for Mervin Stevens, a veteran of the 508th Airborne Regiment Combat Team. The college provided the ideal environment for Merv to focus on higher education, where he was actively involved in campus life, including the Woodman’s Team, Veterans Club, and the St. Regan yearbook.

After graduating in 1956, Merv continued his studies at the University of Montana. He specialized in Soil Science, earning a Bachelor of Science in Forestry in 1958 and then a Master of Forestry with a focus on Forest Soil Science in 1960.

Merv began his long career with the US Forest Service as a Forest Soil Scientist in Missoula, Montana, quickly earning recognition and a promotion to Regional Soil Scientist in Juneau, Alaska, where he pioneered soil mapping in Southeast Alaska. His journey continued in Roanoke, Virginia, and later in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he ascended to Head of Soil Science and Assistant Director for Watershed Management.

Mervin’s work has taken him and his wife, Betty, throughout Asia, the Pacific, Central America, the Caribbean, and Africa. In 1977, he became the first forester in 30 years to visit China as part of a multi-country task force investigating forestry’s role in supporting agriculture.

After retiring from the Forest Service in 1985, Merv permanently relocated to Walpole, NH. He has remained dedicated to forestry, small business promotion, and community service. He has returned to Nepal several times to work with the Finnish government, traveled to Kenya for the United Nations, and advised at Kasetsart University in Thailand.

Merv played a crucial role in bringing New Hampshire to the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival in 1999, earning accolades for the state’s participation.

Now, at 95, Merv resides in Walpole, enjoying a slower pace of life while staying active with gym visits and yard work. Merv’s legacy includes not only a distinguished career in forestry but also significant contributions to community development and small business support. Merv is happy to remind everyone that none of this would have been possible without the love and support of his wife, Betty.

James received his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Maryland and PH.D. from Syracuse University. James had a 30yr career in the U.S. Airforce. Colonel Woods became Professor of Government and later Vice-President of Academic Affairs at Paul Smith’s College. In 1977 the College Board of Trustees and the College President recruited Mr. Woods to write the history of the college. In 1980 his work was completed and the book, Paul Smith’s College 1937-1980: A Saga of Strive, Struggle and Success was published.