Smith, James
SMITH, James Franklin July 5, 1939May 10, 2020 Dr. James F. Smith, Ph.D. passed peacefully at his home in Marietta, GA, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was a Clinical Psychologist for more than 50 years. Jim is survived by his sons Darryl F. Smith (Maria) of Lawrenceville, GA, and Shawn A. Smith of Macon, GA. He is also survived by his devoted life-partner and caregiver Shelley Huddleston Stewart. His late wife, Dr. Sandra Lee Schuler Smith, a teacher and guidance counselor, died in 2008. He was also pre deceased by his younger brother, Dr. Howard Taylor Smith, Jr. Born in Memphis, TN, Jim grew up mainly in New Orleans and Birmingham, cities that both remained dear to his heart. He earned a B.S. cum laude in Mathematics and Philosophy at Birmingham Southern College in 1961. A member of ATO fraternity and Phi Beta Kappa, he was named a Presidential Scholar and a Woodrow Wilson Fellow among many other honors. His connection with childhood and college friends, BSC and ATO lasted throughout his life. Jim had a deep love of education, taking graduate courses at Emory University and later earning both his M.S. degree in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Georgia. He taught at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta and Loyola University in New Orleans before becoming a consultant to corporate clients, including many in the Fortune 500. For 15 years he was Director at the Center for Natural Feeling Therapy. The late playwright Bonnie Pike was inspired to write Three Brass Monkeys, a critically acclaimed play based on Jim's groundbreaking psychotherapy. It was named one of the ten top repertory theater plays of 1984 and toured nationally in 19861987. James F. Smith and Associates focused on executive search and psychological assessments. With fellow psychologist the late Dr. Paul Hirschfield, Jim developed the Honesty Index Questionnaire, a research-based tool for predicting employee honesty. He also had a busy clinical psychology practice. In 2018 Sally Walker wrote a second play, Condemned, and dedicated it to him. It is a serious musical depicting the psychological dynamics and effects of severe childhood trauma. Jim was interested in why some individuals are consistently more successful in life, love, and work relationships. This became his passion as he conducted studies to isolate the specific behaviors and attitudes predictive of what he called Charm. He held classes to teach these behaviors to others. Jim was an intellectual adventurer with broad interests. With his sense of humor, curiosity, and deep New Orleans voice, he could quickly make friends with anyone. Perhaps inspired by patriotism and his time in the USMC, his hobbies included weightlifting and martial arts. Later he became a connoisseur of movies and the Asian food on Buford Highway. A voracious reader, he kept files of research and assembled a reference library of more than 10,000 books. For many years he volunteered at the Atlanta Vietnam Vet Center helping veterans overcome PTSD. As someone who both demanded and gave much of himself, he was a strong man in every sense of the word. Jim would want to thank his many wonderful doctors and nurses in the Piedmont Hospital system as well as the caring staff at Vitas Hospice. A Celebration of Jim's Life will be held at some future time when it is safe to gather. If friends and patients wish to honor his memory now, they should do so by reaching out with kindness to help someone in need. If they prefer a gift of remembrance, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network offers support, resources, and hope to pancreatic cancer survivors. www.pancan.org.
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