Russell Smith of Washington, D.C., never dreamed that after retiring from his law practice, he would join Vanderbilt faculty and students on international archaeological digs that made extraordinary finds.
It all began during Smith's Quinq Reunion in 2018, when he and his wife, Judy Lavine Smith, BS'69, met with members of the Department of Jewish Studies to learn more about the department's priorities. The Smiths received a stack of posters, one of which encouraged undergraduates to spend their Maymester digging in the ruins of Caesarea.
Smith was half kidding when he inquired about joining the trip to Caesarea, an ancient port city on the north coast of modern Israel. He had majored in history but knew little about archaeology. He was amazed when Joseph Rife, associate professor of classical and Mediterranean studies, said they would make it happen. Since 2019, Smith has been part of four archaeological sessions directed by Rife.
My openness to new challenges halfway around the world has brought unique experiences that I deeply treasure.
"My first trip could have been disastrous if I had not been receptive to new experiences," Smith says.
They would rise at 4:30 a.m. to dig with pickaxes and shovels and haul wheelbarrows full of soil. They helped unearth gold coins, mosaics, giant cisterns and other remarkable clues about life in the medieval Islamic period. They also identified remains from Herod the Great's Temple of Rome and Augustus.
Smith returned to Caesarea in 2023. "I was 73 and not sure I could do this again," he says. "I worried about jumping into a giant trench and hitting the rock." Rife assured Smith that in 2024 he could assist without digging and stay in a comfortable hotel instead of a youth hostel. The location was Kenchreai, Greece, near the ancient city of Corinth.
Smith was assigned a gigantic box of artifacts to be catalogued. He would look for pieces of oil lamps that matched each other, weigh and separately tag the matching pieces. He completed close to 500 bags in about two weeks and traveled to the same site in 2025 to continue the inventory.
Smith hopes to be part of Vanderbilt-related archaeological sessions for as long as he is able. He and his wife have established a legacy gift for a full scholarship each year to be awarded to a deserving undergraduate to make the trip.
"My openness to new challenges halfway around the world has brought unique experiences that I deeply treasure," he says. "And opportunities to interact with Vanderbilt students on these trips-as well as in my recent role as president of Vanderbilt Hillel-have been nothing short of fantastic."
-Ann Marie Deer Owens, BA'76
