David Smith

David Smith, BA English '74, his first connection with George Mason University came in the summer of 1968 or 1969, when he worked for an asphalt company that installed one of the large parking lots on the main campus. Little did he know what the future would hold.

After attending several colleges with varying degrees of success, he enrolled at George Mason in the summer of 1973, taking Spanish I during the first summer session. He was unable to attend the second session due to National Guard summer camp, but began full-time studies that fall. His goal was to graduate as quickly as possible. With the help of a waiver, he completed his degree in August 1974. After a seven-year academic journey, he joked that his graduation should have made front-page news in The Washington Post—but President Richard Nixon’s resignation just before that momentous day stole the headlines.

He went on to attend law school at American University, graduating in December 1977. He practiced law in Virginia until 1986, when he moved to Arizona and spent 20 years with the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office. He returned to Virginia in 2006 and worked for nine years with the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission, closing out his legal career with a brief stint as a prosecutor in Warren County.

After retirement, he relocated to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and eventually moved back to Virginia in January. His wife of nearly 44 years, Joan, is a 1968 graduate of Fairfax High School. Together, they have two children and seven grandchildren—all of whom live nearby, except for their oldest grandson, who is currently serving in the Navy.