Smokey Gilliam VMI Class of 40 and Professor of History and Politics 1948-84

VMI is noted for professors who are characters, ones who leave a lasting impression on you because they are unique. During my tenure as a Cadet, back in the Dark Ages we had a number of Professors who fit that description. In my day there was Jack Reeves who taught Biology, Oscar Gupton who also taught Biology and was the wrestling coach, Dodo Dillard who taught English, and Smokey Gilliam who taught History and Politics. Each was a character, but Smokey Gilliam for some reason stands out in my mind.

A graduate of the Class of 1940 he hailed from Lynchburg Virginia. He and my father were Cadets together in the Corps of Cadets. Like most of his generation he served in World War II in the European Theater of Operations. At the end of World War II he returned to VMI as an instructor in History, eventually receiving a Ph.D. in politics from Princeton. This describes the man, but now let me describe the character.

First you need to know that Smokey Gilliam was Democrat through and through. He was a New Deal Democrat a believer in the remedies of FDR. He came by this naturally—of course in his day the Democrats were dominate party in Virginia—Republicans were an endangered species and Smokey knew of the suffering of people because of the Great Depression. For Smokey Gilliam the Great Depression was real and personal. Growing up in Lynchburg he was well acquainted with United States Senator Carter Glass the father of the Federal Reserve and one who believed in the dangers of concentrated power in the hands of a few financial institutions. Some have opined that the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act is the proximate cause of our current economic problems. Carter Glass was a populist and in my many conversations with Smokey there was always a populists streak in his view of the world.

When seeing Smokey during our Cadetship, he was a walking testament to why the Virginia Militia should not wear the uniforms of the United States Army. Today’s Va Militia is strack to the Professors of our day. Smokey, who had served in the Army, was perfectly aware how to wear the uniform, but why not make yourself a character, by appearing disheveled and eccentric in ones appearances. Except one aspect of his uniform however stood out, it was his awards and decorations from World War II. Nothing speculator about that, as he was part of the greatest generation this is not surprising. What is surprising was they were always perfectly arranged and in their proper place.

When you hear his voice, there was no question he was a Virginian. He had the drawl of the Southside mixed with the patrician of Richmond. His voice was part gravely from the many years of drawing on a pipe. Oh yes, for years he smoke a pipe. I can picture it today in my minds eye, an aged and worn briar, which he lit, filled and lit often. I was obviously one, which he had for many years, as the tar was built up in bowl so that he could get but a little pinch of tobacco into the bowl. Then there was the smell of the tobacco he smoked; it was pure Virginia burley tobacco. I am not whether it was Carter Hall or Sir Walter Raleigh or perhaps some other blend of Virginia tobaccos. But there was distinct odor to it, which lingered long after he left the room. When he lit his pipe, his head was often covered by a haze of smoke, hence his name Smokey.

Smokey Gilliam was known as wonderful lecturer. His classes, during my day at VMI were Political Theory and I believe Comparative Government. His Political Theory Class met on Tuesday and Thursday’s at 0800. It was a large Class, with the majority of the Class made up of First Classmen. We met in a large lecture Classroom in the Biology building, now known as Carroll Hall. Engineers and Science Majors were encouraged by Smokey to sit in the rear of the Classroom, Liberal Artists on the other hand were encourage to sit near the front of the Class. He was a marvelous lecturer, but not at 0800 in the morning. I can remember the image of my roommate, an Engineer, taking his pillow into Class and sleeping through the whole lecture between the rows of seats.

Smokey had his quirks, First Classmen who were Engineers and Science Majors could expect to automatically get a A in his Class, on the other hand he actually read the exam papers of Liberal Artists, and they would too get an A or at least an A-. If you were a Second Classman you would get a B. Third’s and Rats were warned not to take his Classes as their grades were pre-determined.

My memories of Smokey are more recent, in the years after he retired in 1984 when I would return to Lexington and have lunch or breakfast with him. We would sit for an hour of so and I would absorb at the feet of the Master his intimate knowledge of Virginia Politics. We would often talk about what was happening in the world and in particular what was happening with VMI. While Smokey, like myself understood that VMI was fighting a futile battle over the admission of women, we both laughed about the fact VMI was spending millions of dollars to keep women out of barracks and as Cadets we were always scheming to get women into barracks.

After 1998 or so I would see Smokey occasionally, although he did not know who I was. This brilliant man, this son of Virginia, was robbed of his soul but left with a body, by a disease which I presume was Alzheimer’s.

For the younger members of the Old Corps, I wish you had him and had a chance to take his class, for he truly was a character and Virginia Gentleman.