They were friends and colleagues. They were husband and wife. They were two California State University, Northridge graduates and longtime faculty members whom friends referred to as soul mates. Owen ’65 (Theatre), M.A. ’67 (Drama) and Chris Smith ’64 (Home Economics), both influential members of the CSUN community, passed away just 81 days apart in 2013 — Owen after battling cancer and Chris after an accident at her home. Nearly two years have passed, and friends are still talking about their loss.
“They were one of those couples that their whole world was wrapped up in their relationship and feelings for each other,” said Alyce Akers, a longtime friend and colleague of Chris’ in CSUN’s Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. “It was a fairy-tale kind of relationship you see in movies. They fell in love when they were very young, married and were just a beautiful, wonderful couple.”
Prior to their passing, the Smiths, so loyal and dedicated to the university that was their second home, decided to leave a gift from their estate to CSUN. In their will, the Smiths directed funds in the form of a planned gift to five different areas at CSUN — all of which were particularly close to their hearts.
They gave to the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC) and the Marilyn Magaram Center for Food Science Nutrition and Dietetics.
They also gave an endowed scholarship for a student in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences with an emphasis in the Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science Option, an endowed scholarship for a student in the Department of Theatre with a declared interest in Theatre Design/Technology and a Dean’s Circle Endowment in the College of Health & Human Development.
Chris was a beloved professor in Family and Consumer Sciences for nearly 30 years. She was a co-advisor for the department’s Student Dietetic and Food Science Association for 21 years, and she served as the director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD). She guided students through the coursework that academically prepared them to become registered dietitians. Even after her 2001 retirement, she remained an active member of the department’s DPD/DI (Dietetic Internship) Advisory Board. First and foremost, she was an educator who cared deeply about the success of her students.