Leslee Harris Smith, MS, RRT, 48, passed away on January 13, 2001, after a courageous life cut short by the devastating effects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Leslee was the Clinical Coordinator, and then Director, of the Respiratory Therapy Program at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, Virginia, from 1981 to 1996 when she was forced to slow down due to the consequences of her illness. Using distant learning and electronic technologies to overcome the physical limitations imposed by her disease, Leslee continued teaching part-time through the end of the Fall semester 2000. She was an active member of the Virginia Society for Respiratory Therapy, serving as chair of the educator group for many years. Her many contributions are recognized annually by the VSRC through its award of the Leslee Harris Smith Scholarship to students enrolled in respiratory therapy educational programs throughout the state.
Leslee received her AS degree from the Northwest Mississippi Junior College Respiratory Therapy Program in 1973, her BS degree from the Respiratory Therapy Program at Georgia State University in 1978, and her MS from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1983. She was a remarkable human being, a generous person with enormous energy, and a gifted and dedicated respiratory therapy educator who is greatly missed by her friends and colleagues in the respiratory therapy community.
The Virginia Society for Respiratory Care (VSRC) may financially award respiratory therapy students and/or professional respiratory therapists to support education endeavors. This financial award will allow the opportunity for students and/or professionals to supplement current tuition or pay for the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) exam fees.
Please see the scholarship award page for details and application
Recipients
2009 – Rebecca Infante
2010 – No Award Given
2012 – Torrey Phanelson / Diane Simmons
2015 – Janice Rinker / Kimberly Smith
2016 – Miriam Robertson / Ashley Smith
2017 – Colin Poe
2018 – Daniel Gochenour and Amanda Hreiz
2019 – Hanna Hatala
2020 – Alyssa Edwards
2021 – Not awarded
2022 – Hailey Davidson
*Alphabetical by last name when two awards given