Ethan Schmidt loved history. No surprise for a history professor, but his students at Delta State University said he tackled it like it was front page news.
When he was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head in his campus office, his story ended – but his legacy began.
Schmidt, 39, leaves behind a trail of educational pursuits that took him from Kansas to Texas to Mississippi and a string of enriched colleagues and students.
Student body president in college
His college career started at Emporia State.
Schmidt earned a bachelor’s and master’s in history at the Kansas school in 1998 and 2001, but he wasn’t just tucked away in the history department.
He served as student body president and was named a Distinguished Senior by the university. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and two honor societies.
A former professor gushed.
“He was a remarkable student,” Karen Manners Smith, a professor of history, said. “He was one of the best students I ever had and I was thrilled he went on to a career in teaching history.”
“He was on his road to being one of the great scholars of American history,” she said.
An outstanding teacher
Word of his death hit hard at Texas Tech where Schmidt moved after earning his doctorate in U.S. history at the University of Kansas in 2007
“He was an outstanding teacher, scholar and friend. Even more importantly, he was an incredible husband and father,” Tech history chair Sean Cunningham said on the school’s Facebook page. “We are simply crushed.”
Schmidt taught graduate and undergrad courses, focusing on American history and especially the history of Native Americans in the United States.
He won an Innovative Teaching Award in 2010 and the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching a year later.
Schmidt’s career reached new level when he arrived at Delta State in 2013 as an assistant professor of American History.
Early America continued to fascinate him, especially the interaction between the European colonists and the indigenous people of North America.
His research won him praise from his colleagues. He published two books and contributed articles to other publications.
“He did a tremendous job as a history professor,” Delta State University President William LaForge. “I thought the world of him. He was a star on our faculty at Delta State.”
Student outpouring
Perhaps Schmidt can be best judged by the students he taught and the impressions he made.
Former students filled Facebook and Twitter with their memories of the man who made history come alive for them.
“What a tragedy! I took Dr. Schmidt’s American history course as a freshman in 2008. It was one of my favorite college classes during my time at Texas Tech (I was a molecular bio major),” said Joe Herbert. “He had an amazing way of telling the story of history in a way that was at once engaging and informative.”
“One of my favorite graduate history classes was with Dr. Schmidt,” said Kylie Schaefer. “So saddened by his news.”
And from Amanda Wolfe: “He was the best history teacher, ever! My prayers go out to his family and children whom he spoke highly of, always. We will miss you Schmidt!”