Bardwell Leith Smith, age 97 of Northfield, MN died peacefully November 28th, 2022.

Bardwell was born in Springfield, MA on July 28, 1925. He attended Andover Academy and Yale University. During World War II, he served in the Marine Corps, seeing action in Iwo Jima and Okinawa. In 1954, Bardwell was ordained as an Episcopal priest and while working on his Yale Ph.D. in social ethics, he served in various ministerial roles in Highland Park, IL and New Haven, CT. During this time, he also dove deeply into the languages and cultures of Asia. Upon arriving at Carleton College in 1960, he inaugurated the study of Asian religions and culture at the college. Bardwell retired as the John W. Nason Professor of Religion and Asian Studies in 1996.

After retirement, he remained very active with Carleton and the Northfield community.  At Carleton, Bardwell was a legendary teacher who motivated and inspired generations of students. He also served as Dean of the College from 1967 to 1972. While Dean, he shaped the college culturally in important ways. He helped to make the faculty tenure system more

equitable and established the first co-ed dormitories. True to his sense of humor, the moves across the campus happened on Valentine’s Day weekend.

Spurred in part by Bardwell, the college also committed to doubling the number of African American students. Responding to a journalist, Bardwell said, “If by integration you mean accepting black students and forcing them into the mold of white values, then no. We are not integrating at Carleton...we are trying to be part of the process in this country which is forming new culture.”

During his years at Carleton, Bardwell established the college’s outstanding program in Asian Studies, generating endowments for additional Asian Studies faculty, bringing in visiting professors from both Asia and the west, sponsoring Asian related cultural events and establishing a world-renowned Japanese garden on campus.

Bardwell was influential in promoting the growth of Buddhist studies as an academic field, both in the U.S. and globally. He was among the pioneers in the teaching of Buddhism and other Asian religions in American small liberal arts colleges. He supported such education, not only in the stateside classroom, but through such study-abroad ventures as the Association Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) India Studies Program, the Intercollegiate Sri Lanka Education (ISLE) program, and the Associated Kyoto Program (AKP), in all of which he took leading roles. He was a founding member of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, serving on the editorial board, the board of directions, and, in 1980-81, as General Secretary. Bardwell’s efforts were also vital to securing a foothold for Buddhist studies at the annual meetings of the American Academy of Religion, which have become the main venue for scholarly communication about Buddhism in North America, if not the world.

As a scholar of Buddhism and other Asian traditions, Bardwell was a productive social historian, editor and author. He wrote many manuscripts, essays, and books while at Carleton and during his retirement years. In 2013, he published Narratives of Sorrow and Dignity: Japanese Women, Pregnancy Loss, and Modern Rituals of Grieving. Earlier in 2022, he published Precarious Balance: Sinhala Buddhism and the Forces of Pluralism.

Bardwell and his wife Charlotte loved traveling the world and went on numerous pilgrimages in Asia and Europe sharing their experiences with family, friends, and colleagues. They embraced their community and served as fine examples of giving back. Bardwell and Charlotte made annual trips to visit their children spread across the country. Always having great adventures

with them, provoking genuine and fun dialog and observations.

Bardwell was predeceased by his beloved wife, Charlotte; father, Winthrop H. Smith and mother, Gertrude Behanna. He is survived by his brother Winthrop H. Smith Jr of Warren, VT, and five children, Peter Smith of Sedgwick, ME, Susan Moeller of Jupiter, FL, Laura Goodwin of Belfast, ME, Brooks Smith of Minneapolis, MN, and Sam Smith of Pacifica, CA., and by 7

grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.

We will miss Bardwell greatly but will continue to celebrate his lightly worn erudition, his puckish wit, his love of baseball, his rigor as a scholar and clarity as a writer, his lifelong love of both academic and experiential learning and, far from least, his genuine human kindness.

A memorial service to celebrate Bardwell’s life will be held at the Skinner Memorial Chapel at Carleton College on April 15th, 2023, at 2 pm with a reception being held at Great Hall immediately following the service. Donations in Bardwell’s memory may be given to the Northfield Retirement Community, the Rural Asian Institute, or the Northfield Community

Action Center. NOTE: Donations can be made online or by check.

WHEREVER A BEAUTIFUL SOUL HAS BEEN THERE IS ALWAYS A TRAIL OF BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES.

Arrangements by Bierman Funeral Home and Crematory. biermanfuneralhome.com.