As a missile launch officer with the U.S. Strategic Air Command, Doug Smith '70 once operated nuclear weapons aimed at Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. Now Smith, an optometrist in Oregon, helps to deliver a different cargo to the impoverished region--medical equipment and supplies.

Smith's involvement with Kamchatka began in 1997 when he traveled there as a representative of Rotary International. "The simple purpose was to start a Rotary club in Kamchatka," he said, though the visit convinced Smith that much more could be done to help the residents of this remote region of the Russian Far East. "We found a tremendous need for infrastructure and improvements."

Noting the lack of medical technology and resources in the area, Smith decided to form a partnership of American Rotary clubs located on the West Coast to provide much-needed supplies to Kamchatka. Smith returned to Russia with a laser instrument to treat diabetic retinopathy. Since then, the partnership has furnished $11.5-million worth of supplies, including a complete neonatal unit and eight cardiac units. In May of last year Smith delivered to Russian doctors enough vaccines to immunize 130,000 Kamchatka residents against Hepatitis B and 30,000 against pneumonia. Office supplies, computers and even a harpsichord for a struggling musician have been among the donated items Smith has taken to the region.

This cooperation between the Russian East Coast and American West Coast will continue in the future. This summer the Rotary group will pass along medication worth $8.5 million, Smith said. Noting that the Kamchatka doctors are well trained to operate the necessary medical equipment but lack technology and funds, Smith says the group has donated the medical supplies to the Russian doctors to help them meet the needs of the local population. "We've always been of the mindset to give them help for the short term while teaching them to help themselves for the long term," he said.

Smith does not focus his volunteerism solely on Russia, however.

A resident of Medford, Ore., he has been recognized for his local activism. In 1978 he received the Outstanding Young Man of America award for his civic involvement. Smith was elected Oregon Optometrist of the Year in 1982, largely due to his advocating for advanced diagnostics and instrumentation for the handicapped. In 1985 the governor of Oregon appointed Smith to the Oregon Commission for the Blind, a group that seeks to achieve full inclusion of visually impaired people in society. As president of the local Rotary club, Smith helped to provide $40,000 of scholarships to graduating high school students and to institute a program that brings low-income children to department stores with money to buy clothing. "The kids always bought something bigger than their size so they could grow into it," Smith said. "They would always buy clothes for their brothers and sisters."

When Smith met his Russian counterpart in the Cold War missile pointing, he recognized how circumstances in the two countries had changed after the tensions of the era ended. Feelings of guilt at his military involvement in the Cold War, he says, spurred his desire to foster greater connections between the two countries. "I have always given, but this sudden shift is probably due to a desire I've had since high school and college," he said. Colby's commitment to "lifelong learning and lifelong sport" encouraged Smith to pursue many of the paths he has taken. The College, he said, has given him "a perception of the larger world. You keep opening doors to more and more opportunities."

--Gavin O'Brien '04