Obituary for Irwin Smith
On July 14, we lost Irwin Smith, a much-loved father and husband, and a Badger known for his devotion and generosity to the University of Wisconsin.
Born in Spokane in 1939 and raised in Madison, where his father was a professor and then chair in the Department of Agronomy, Irwin developed a love of golf at Nakoma Golf Club and graduated from West High School. He received a BS in economics in 1962 and an MBA in 1964 from the university, after which he moved to San Francisco where he worked at Bank of America and met his life partner, Linda. In 1975, he became the chief investment officer, and later, deputy treasurer, for the State of Connecticut before becoming chairman of Columbus Circle Investors, then a unit of Gulf & Western in New York. After Irwin left Columbus Circle Investors in 1999, he founded Nakoma Capital Management in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Irwin gave generously of his time, supporting the development of Applied Security Analysis Program (ASAP) from its beginning in the 1970s in the Wisconsin School of Business, UW–Madison. He began guest speaking then, and in the 1980s, became a member of the ASAP Advisory Board, providing advice to the faculty and staff at ASAP (now named the Hawk Center). At the end of the 1990s, he served as the financial executive in residence, teaching and meeting with students regularly. In 2001, the Wisconsin School of Business presented him with the Distinguished Business Alumnus Award. He served as a member of the board of directors of the University of Wisconsin Foundation for more than a decade, including serving as treasurer from 2003 to 2007. From 2007 to 2011, he served on the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship Advisory Board.
Irwin supported the construction of the D. C. Smith Teaching Greenhouse, named in honor of his father; the Fluno Center, including Smitty’s Study Pub; and the American Family Children’s Hospital, which the Smith family continues to support.
He was an avid golfer, an excellent listener and mentor, and the possessor of a dry sense of humor. He and Linda, his wife of 57 years, had recently relocated from Arizona to Connecticut to be closer to their children. He is survived by Linda; son, Stephen, and grandchildren, Spencer and Madeline, in Connecticut; daughter, Susan, in Washington, DC; and brother, Rick, in California.
