Nobody saw it coming. Just like most students she was preparing for her future on earth.

But one Thursday morning she was taken away without a chance to say goodbye to friends, family or classmates.

With Denita Monique Smith gone, N.C. Central University faculty, students, staff and family gathered at NCCU’s B.N. Duke Auditorium Tuesday to say a final goodbye to her in a memorial service.

“Our hearts are numb, and our minds are confused,” said Rev. Michael Page of the Campus Ministry.

Smith was shot and killed Jan. 4. Her body was discovered by a maintenance worker around 10 a.m. on the ground floor below her second story apartment at the Campus Crossings Apartments.

Five days later, Shannon Elizabeth Crawley, 27, of 4203 Elderbush Circle, Greensboro, was arrested for the fatal shooting death of Smith.

Students and faculty members reflected on Smith as a scholar, friend and colleague.

Arlene Clift-Pellow, professor of English, remembered Smith for her optimism.

“Denita was interested in ethical and social dimensions of literature,” said Clift-Pellow. “She was always ready for class.”

“Denita impacted the lives of many,” said Chancellor James H.. Ammons. “Her death is an inescapable part of our reality.”

Her funeral took place 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11 at the University Park Baptist Church in Charlotte.

A
Promising Student

At N.C. Central University, Smith wasn’t an ordinary student.

“She was an outstanding and promising student, whose life has been cut short,” said Ammons.

Smith was an Eagle scholar, sang in the Worship and Praise Inspirational Mass Choir, and played the saxophone in the Sound Machine. She helped students at the Writing Studio, shot pic tures and wrote stories for the Campus Echo, and was active in student government – all of this was accomplished as an undergraduate student.

Smith turned 25 Nov. 20. She graduated from West Charlotte High School in 2000 and graduated from NCCU in 2004.

Smith was writing her master’s thesis on the expression of black male identity in both the works of Richard Wright and Tupac Shakur. She was expecting to graduate this spring.

She was engaged to be married to Jermeir Stroud, an NCCU alumnus and a police officer in Greensboro.

As an undergraduate, Smith was a staff photographer for this newspaper from 2001-2004, and as a graduate student she continued to write stories for the Campus Echo.

After graduating, she attended the New York Times Summer Journalism Institute in New Orleans. She had internships with the NCCU Office of Public Relations and Democracy South, and was a member of the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honors Society.

As a graduate student, Smith worked for NCCU’s Writing Studio, tutoring students and helping them with their writing assignments.

The Smith family at the Jan. 16 memorial in B.N. Duke Auditorium (from left to right Calvian, father, Sharon, mother, Jonathan, brother, Jaleesa, sister). (Photo: Bryson Pope/Echo Staff Photographer)

Compassionate, hardworking

Alumni, students and faculty all remember Smith for her graceful composure, her loyal friendship and her academic excellence.

“For anyone who knew Denita, sadness will be in the air,” said Gerard Farrow, a former Campus Echo Arts and Entertainment editor, who worked closely with Smith. Farrow was on his way to a graduate class in film studies at Howard University when he received the call that he said ruined his day.

“I don’t even think I remember what went on in class,” said Farrow. “That was the only thing on my mind.”

Saria Canady, a former copy editor from the Campus Echo now working at the Naples Daily News in Florida, was close to Smith. “We knew what was going on in each other’s lives,” said Canady. “She was not the type of person to have any enemies.” Canady recalled that Smith had a habit of calling people by their first and last names and that her favorite expression was “Keep God first.”

Julius Jones, a former Campus Echo staff reporter who works in events promotion in New York, said he has fond memories of Smith.

“She gave me so much help,” he said. Jones said that the last time he spoke with Smith, she was excited about her future marriage to Jermeir Stroud. “She was so excited when she told me about it,” said Jones. “I was ready to see her go through her bride phase.”

Jenise Hudson, a co-worker of Smith in the Writing Studio, said she was not prepared for the news of Smith’s death. “I just lost it,” said Hudson. We had gotten closer to one another within the last couple of weeks. She was very giving and very family oriented. “The news has hit faculty hard as well.

“She was one of the most thoughtful people, and she was a very good student,” said English associate professor and Sigma Tau Delta International English Honors Society adviser Michele Ware .

“Denita worked hard to do her best. She was excited about pursuing her master’s degree,” said Ware. “We had great hopes for her.”

English professor Arlene Clift-Pellow, the chair of Smith’s thesis committee, recalls how excited Smith was about being in the graduate program.

“She was wonderful to work with – very positive,” said Clift-Pellow.

Bruce dePyssler, Smith’s adviser at the Campus Echo, said it was especially difficult returning to the office after hearing the sad news. “I just broke down when I looked in the photo editing room where she used to image her photographs,” said dePyssler. “It’s so sad. She was doing everything right.”

The Campus Echo staff will pay tribute to Smith by naming their newsroom after her.

Louise Maynor, chair of the English and mass communcation department, said Smith planned to pursue a Ph.D. at either Ohio University or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was interested in studying rhetoric and popular culture.

“I still find it difficult to imagine that someone like Denita could be a victim of something like this,” said Maynor. “I’ll always be stunned by this.”

While those left behind struggle to cope with their grief and loss, some of her friends on Facebook.com have yet one more task for Smith — she’s got some messages to deliver in heaven:

“Tell my grandfather I said hello and I love him,” wrote friend Ebony Robinson.

“Tell my mom that I said I love her, and I miss her,” wrote friend Gilbert Harper.

Smith is survived by her brother Jonathan Maurice, 21, her sister Jaleesa Renee, 17, and her parents Calvian and Sharon.

The family requests that donations be made to the Denita M. Smith Scholarship Fund at the University Park Baptist Church in Charlotte.

Crawley’s arrest

Crawley will face charges in Durham County. She was recently tranfered to the women’s prison in Raleigh Tuesday

Police described Smith’s shooting as “planned and personal.”

Crawley was suspended from Gilford County Metro 911 Jan. 5, after being identified as a person of interest in the case.

In a news release Durham police said they would not discuss suspected motives.

News of the arrest and a sense of relief traveled fast across campus.

Jeffery Elliot, chair of the NCCU political science department, said he was encouraged that “police are taking an aggressive approach to such an horrific event. People want to see closure in this case.”

Elliot was recently interviewed by Smith for a Nov. 25 Campus Echo news story about the U.S. Midterm election.

Even though Elliot was scheduled for a surgery he stayed up late responding to her e-mail questions “because I admire her.”

“I’m relieved that they found someone,” said biology education junior Snwazna Adams. “I feel some kind of justice has been done for Denita.”

“I know that the campus is thankful that they have made an arrest,” said education graduate student DeRonde Dawson. “I know that the family is relieved.”

Durham Police Chief Steve Chalmers said he hoped the arrest would “assist in the healing process.”