"Water Village" - the History of Waterville

A native of Waterville, Earl Smith graduated from the University of Maine at Orono with a degree in journalism in 1962 when he began a 40 year career at Colby where he served in numerous administrative capacities including Dean of Students, Dean of the College, Secretary of the Corporation and as assistant to three Colby presidents.

He retired in 2002 and continues to serve as the college historian. His public service includes elected terms on the Waterville City Council and the Board of Education, and as a Representative to the Maine Legislature. He served as member and chair of the board of Mid-Maine Medical Center and the Kennebec Valley Community College Foundation, and as a Governor of the Colby Art Museum. 

He has received the Marriner Distinguished Service Award at Colby, the Bernard King Award at KVCC, and the Human Rights Award from the Elijah Lovejoy Society in St. Louis.

Smith has written numerous articles for newspapers and magazines, and is the author of six books including Mayflower Hill, a history of Colby College, and With the Help of Friends, a history of the Colby Art Museum. His novels include The Dam Committee, a comic Maine murder-mystery, and its sequel, More Dam Trouble. His most recent novel, Head of Falls (North Country Press, 2016) is a work of historical fiction, set in the Maine city of Waterville in the mid-1950s. Water Village, a history of Waterville, is his latest work.