Ira Smolensky, who spent 33 years as a political science professor at Monmouth College, passed away Thursday at the age of 69.Smolensky retired from the liberal arts college last year but as emeritus professor remained active on campus and led the semester’s first Great Decisions lecture which he helped organize for years.
Former student Brad Nahrstadt gave a gift to the college to have a room in the Center for Science and Business named after Smolensky.
He remembers the late professor as the “Great Encourager”.
Nahrstadt says Smolensky would “encourage you to have your own ideas, your own thoughts, and to do what you wanted” regardless of your politics.
Smolensky’s knowledge and influence in politics stretched beyond the classroom though, helping Shawn Gillen win the 1997 Monmouth mayoral race.
Smolensky was also a great fan of the game of baseball, and credits his following the Brooklyn Dodgers as a boy as to how he first became socially conscious about race.
But he was credited as saying “if I had to sacrifice this career to be a major leaguer, I wouldn’t do it. I’d rather have this life.”
