Vickie Smith, instructor of English, died Saturday in Abilene, after a battle with cancer. She was 62.

Smith taught in the Department of English until the first day of classes this semester but was unable to continue after being diagnosed with abdominal cancer.

Dr. Cole Bennett, associate professor of English and interim department chair, moved into an office across the hall from Smith when he arrived at ACU in 2000. He said Smith was always asking her fellow professors questions to be the most effective teacher she could be. Bennett called Smith a “student of the craft.”

“Vickie was an outstanding teacher, and her voluminous office files are a testament to her devotion,” Bennett said. “She was continuously inventing, designing and refining assignments for thestudents in her composition and British literature courses.”

Bennett said Smith was as concerned with her students’ spiritual development as she was with their understanding of concepts she taught in class.

“Because our office doors were often both open, I would hear her talking to students about their lives – troubles at home, illness, poor time management, faith matters and integrity,” Bennett said. “Her students may have had difficulty understanding British poetry or essay writing at times, but they could not have missed the woman of unbridled and never-ending love standing before them each class period.”

Smith was born May 3, 1948. She graduated from Midwestern State University in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in English. She earned her master’s in English from ACU in 1992 and began teaching full time in 1995.

Dr. Nancy Shankle, professor of English and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, remembers Smith as a teacher who loved her students and was passionate in her faith. Shankle said Smith expected her students to strive for excellence in her classes.

“Any student who came to class unprepared or made excuses about missing homework quickly heard a lesson about accountability from Prof. Smith,” Shankle said. “However, she also worked overtime to help any student who earnestly wanted to learn. She often tutored students in her office to help them prepare for an assignment or test.”

Shankle said Smith was effective as a teacher because she used unconventional teaching methods. She said Smith would teach her Major British Writers course backwards, starting with more recent literature and then going back in time. Shankle said Smith wanted her students to participate in class.

“Professor Smith was also a champion for active learning and would give students a text to discuss or a writing exercise and then leave the room,” Shankle said. ” When she returned, she challenged students to tell her what they learned, and they always rose to the challenge.”

Dr. Mikee Delony, assistant professor of English, remembers Smith as a teacher who cared for her students.

“I’ve been part of the ACU faculty for almost five years, and Vickie was always helpful, encouraging, and willing to share ideas and resources,” Delony said. “Many of my handouts have “Smith” in the header, indicating that she created them. She was often the first faculty member on the floor in the morning and the last to leave in the afternoon.”

Delony said Smith’s encouragement was a positive influence for those she worked with in the Department of English.

“She had a wonderfully dry wit, a generous spirit, and will be missed by those of us who worked with her every day.”

Her funeral service will be at 1 p.m. on Thursday at Hillcrest Church of Christ.

She is survived by her mother, sister and other family members.