Deborah B. Smith

Deborah B. Smith, 77, of Newberry, passed away on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at her home.

Deborah was born on December 11,1947 in New Haven, CT to the late Robert Close and Elinor Rungee Smith.

She graduated from Elmira College in New York and earned a Masters of Arts from the University of Vienna. She was highly regarded on the national arts scene and served on numerous panels for the National Endowment of the Arts, the South Carolina Arts Commission, the Vermont Commission for the Arts, the Connecticut Commission for the Arts, and The Association of Entertainment Professionals (AEP) Worldwide.

Following college, she worked at Yale University where she was the director of the Yale Concert Office. Deborah then moved to the Schubert Theatre in New Haven, CT where she was an assistant director. She was very involved with the refurbishing of the theatre.

She served as the General Manager of the Stamford Center for the Arts and coordinated the construction and opening of the Middlebury College Center for the Arts.

Deborah lectured in Arts Management at various colleges, including Clemson and Yale and was a guest speaker at numerous arts and planning conferences.

She produced projects for the Edinborough Festival, the American Shakespeare Festival, and the American Palace Theater, as well as having worked on several Broadway productions with Fran and Barry Weissler. True to her love of travel and adventure, Deborah was also a member of the Society of Women Geographers and a proud Rotarian.

Deborah's life was extraordinary, filled with a desire to always be looking forward. She has been described as a visionary leader whose skills were an exemplary asset to the transformation of the historical Newberry Opera House. From 1997 – 2015 she helped refurbish and reopen in 1998 the Newberry Opera House where she faithfully served as the Executive Director bringing the once dormant historical theater back to life and allowing it to become a nationally renowned venue.

Through her leadership the Opera House received the League of Historic American Theatres' Outstanding Historic Theatre Award in 2008. Deborah coordinated thousands of performances as she “brought fame and the famous to Newberry.”

Her vision allowed Newberry to bring the arts to town and to set a catalyst for economic and cultural growth as restaurants filled and local shopping came to the streets of downtown Newberry. Her efforts to bolster the economy of Newberry brought her the distinction of being named the 2005 Economic Development Ambassador for Newberry County. She was also honored by Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford by being named a South Carolina Economic Ambassador.

Deborah had a great love for literature and for writing. She was an avid reader and loved taking daily walks in Lynch’s Woods. In her spare time, she was the author of several science fantasy books. Her interest in literature afforded her the opportunity to formerly serve as a board member of the Pat Conroy Literary Center.

She was a regular participate on the WKDK Tuesday Coffee Hour. She began as a contributor on the Coffee Hour with James F. Coggins and continued for many years with James P. “Jimmie” Coggins.

Her personal interests took her on many adventures traveling through Alaska and the North West Passage from Iceland to Nome. She spent a year living in a log cabin in the interior of Alaska.

The love that Deborah had for the arts, the Newberry Opera House and the town of Newberry will long be relished by those who were graced with her presence. She devoted herself to mentoring staff, volunteers and young artists, and her kindness, passion and dedication will endure. Deborah put many stars on stage, but she was a star in her own right because of the devotion she had for making the place she called home a better place to live.

She is survived by a brother, Kent Smith and his partner, Jill Thomas.

The family will receive friends on Saturday, April 19, 2025, from 3:00 – 6:00 pm at the McSwain-Evans Funeral Home.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at the Newberry Opera House.

The family suggests that in lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Deborah Smith Endowment Fund, 1201 McKibben Street, Newberry, SC 29108.