Drs. Chuck (Charles W.) and Janet Smith are musicians extraordinare. Chuck grew up in Palmerton, PA just north of Allentown and graduated from Palmerton High School in 1954. His Dad had earned a Masters Degree from the University of Wyoming and Chuck tells me that they went out there every summer and it "became like a second home to me". Which explains why Chuck went there to earn his B.A. degree in 1958. While there he met a little girl from Cheyenne named Janet. They married in 1957 the year Janet graduated from the University. Chuck graduated the next year and he taught in the Montana school system for the next three years and Janet had four boys in their first five years of marriage. From Montana they moved to New Jersey and Chuck earned his Masters from NYU. Janet studied piano at Julliard while they lived in N.J. They moved on to Rochester, NY and both Chuck and Janet studied at the Eastman School of Music.From Rochester they moved to Harrisonburg, VA and Chuck taught at Madison College (now James Madison University) and Janet taught in Salisbury, NC in all black Livingston College. She was working also on her Master's at UNC Greensboro. During this time Janet says they both were performing all the time. From North Carolina they moved to Cape Girardeau and both taught at SE Missouri State. Chuck earned his Ph.D. from Peabody in 1974 and Janet her Ph.D. from the University of Missouri Kansas City. They moved to Bowling Green in 1989 and taught at WKU until Chuck retired in 2002.
Before Chuck began to have issues with his health he enjoyed fishing. He has always enjoyed composing and still does that quite a bit. I've heard some of his compositions and they are excellent. Chuck plays the flute and both he and Janet gave concerts in St. Petersburg Russia in 2003. Janet continues to teach piano at home and her pupils have given wonderful performances for our own Rotary club. What is amazing about Janet is that she has been a Park Ranger at Mammoth Cave National Park since 1993 and still occasionally leads the Wild Cave Tour. This involves strenuous climbing through narrow passage ways. As the Aussies would say, "Good on ya." Chuck and Janet have 7 grandchildren ages 26 years to 1 1/2 years.
