“There’s love in the air at the CIA,” Smith smiles and laughs a little as she reminisces at her days walking the halls of the CIA building in Fairfax, Virginia. Before Professor Stephanie Smith became Professor Smith, she was Miss Stephanie Danes and she worked over 300 miles away from Kent State. Working for the CIA, Smith developed important work skills, experiences and long lasting relationships. In fact, the CIA could possibly stand for ‘Cupid in Action’, for this happens to be where Stephanie Danes and Bill Smith were shot by the same arrow.
Name: Stephanie Smith
Spouse: Bill Smith
Occupation: Currently, Stephanie is an assistant professor for the colleges of Journalism and Mass Communication and the College of Communication Studies
From: Niles, OH
Relationship status: Happily married for 30 years
Her Campus: How did you and Mr. Smith meet?
Stephanie Smith: Well, I was an editor and Bill was a cartographer and printer specialist, we both worked for the CIA. Bill was my senior, for I was just starting out at the department. Us, along with several other co-workers worked on a project together for publishing novels about the former U.S.S.R military for the CIA. Working with Bill was delightful, he was very friendly and funny and it was very easy for us to become friends. (Who said you can’t flirt over casual conversation about Soviet Union militarization?)
HC: So how did he eventually ask you out?
SS: This is Bill’s iconic line; he shares this story with everyone. This was in 1985 around the time we were working on the novels together. One day he calls me down to go over some small details for the project when he says to me, “You look like a girl who likes to eat. Want to go out?” It sometimes surprises me I said yes to that. We decided on a Polynesian restaurant in Arlington, VA that Bill boosted he was a loyal patron of. The meal was lovely and the date went well, yet for no reason neither of us never went back even though Bill expressed he was this ‘devout custumer’ there.
HC: What was your early relationship with Bill like?
SS: We became more serious as a couple in the summer of ‘85 and summer in Washington D.C. is such a beautiful time and place; it set a stunning scene. We used to travel to monuments and view concerts together mostly and it really was just a beautiful atmosphere to began a relationship in. Along with its beauty, the city possessed so much to do all the time and it’s a wonderful setting for those with a deep love of public affairs and beauty to come together and enjoy each other’s company. Washington D.C. isn’t Paris, but there’s great cities to fall in love in and Washington D.C. and Paris are two of them.
HC: What was it like working with your partner?
SS: We did work in the same department for a short amount of time in the beginning in the relationship. Though you would think it would strain the relationship, it was never a problem. It was actually very common for CIA workers to find a spouse, or possibly their second or third spouse, within the organization. The atmosphere, obviously, was very intense with long hours and hard work so it was common for workers to become very immersed in their fellow coworker’s lives. The organization was also very involved, fun and family oriented which added that extra sense of intimacy. It doesn’t always work for partners, but romance is definitely alive at the CIA.
HC: You said you watched fellow CIA relationships deteriorate, what kept your relationship from that same fate?
SS: Bill and I really clicked as friends before we became romantically involved, and that was, and is, a very important aspect of a strong relationship. We never, ever took part in PDA; like, dude, keep that to yourself. We didn’t have that need to prove our relationship to anyone, and that security in our relationship gave us an edge over many other couples who were constantly trying to compensate for something. I don’t know, it was just easy for us. I moved departments after recieving a promotion which was early in the relationship so that may have helped, but I believe Bill and I were a strong enough couple to work closely together and still be just as close as a couple.
HC: How has 30 years of marriage been with Bill?
SS: It’s always light hearted and humorous. I think the best example of how we are around each other happened just the other day. I was pulling into the garage after being in Kent all day teaching, and the first thing he said to me as I got out of my car, was not ‘how are you’ or ‘how was your day’, but ‘Beyonce’s having twins!’ …We watch the same shows, and laugh at the same jokes, still, after 30 years, and we always have a good time whether it’s a night in or at an event. We believe there are three rules for a good marriage: Have a short memory about bad times, have a long memory about good times and have a sense of humor at all times.