OBITUARY

Calhoun recalls Renaissance educator

Douglas Smestad, longtime history teacher, dies at 63

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“Remember, you are the future.”

Douglas Smestad repeated this affirmation daily to the hundreds of students he taught for two and a half decades in history classes at Calhoun High School - which helps explain why he was so loved by so many of them since he started working there in 1990.

Hundreds are now mourning Smestad, who died on Sept. 17 after a long battle with cancer; he was 63.

Colleagues said his death was a crushing blow to the school community. However, many have promised to continue his legacy.

He was predeceased by his wife, Janice. He is survived by his sons, Dylan and Ethan, both Calhoun graduates.

The Smestads moved to Merrick in the 1990s to raise their children. Leaving behind his family compressor business, Douglas, an East Meadow native, was concerned that he might not earn tenure because he didn’t look like the typical educator.

Sal Salerno, a colleague and one of his best friends, recalled that he was “the cool guy.” He rode a motorcycle, wore jeans and colorful ties, and had a ponytail and beard. To ensure that he received tenure, he cut his hair and bought a polyester suit because, he said, it was “the most conforming.”

“This is a man that did not conform, but he was willing to play the game because it meant something to have this job, to be in this district and to move his family into this district,” Salerno said. “He hated that polyester… and when he finally got tenure, he took it out, put it in a can and burned it.”

From that moment on, Smestad’s classroom environment reflected his diverse, anything-but-typical interests. He told students about the Renaissance fairs that he took part in, sharing his vast knowledge of medieval times in Advanced Placement European history and all of his classes. He not only played two instruments from the Renaissance era –– the lute and hurdy-gurdy –– but also the rock guitar. When weather permitted, he rode his motorcycle to school. And his interest in philosophy shined through not only in elective courses, but also in his oft-repeated mantras like, “You all start with 100 percent.”

“That’s how he viewed everything –– you start full, and even though you may not know anything about something, because you want to know, you’re 100 percent involved,” Salerno explained. “He gave them an environment that was supportive, caring and fun.”

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