In 1942, Miami University President Alfred H. Upham established a committee to document the University’s involvement in the Second World War. He appointed Dr. William E. Smith, a history professor, to chair the committee. In this role, Smith was charged with collecting documents and other contextual items that would later be used to write a war history for the University. Smith had a personal affinity toward diaries and personal letters, and viewed them as indispensable artifacts in capturing first-hand reactions and opinions during the war period. This thinking prompted Smith to assign his students the task of keeping personal diaries as a way to record the happenings of both the war and university life from their own perspectives. Smith continued the assignment every semester until 1957.

Dr. William Ernest Smith was born in Licking, MO on April 30, 1892. Smith served from 1913-1918 as a high school principal in Walnut Grove, MO. He later went on to serve for five years as superintendent of the schools in Belton, MO. Subsequently, Smith received a baccalaureate degree from Southwest Missouri State Teachers College in 1923, a Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1924, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1927. Smith joined the faculty of Miami University as an Assistant Professor of History in 1926 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1929, and later Professor in 1931. Four years later in 1935, Smith became Chairman of the Department of History, a position which he held until 1957. From 1950-1959, Smith also served as Dean of the Graduate School. Smith completed his service at Miami University as a Research Professor of History from 1959-1962 and as Director of the McGuffey Museum. Miami University honored Dr. Smith by conferring the degree of Doctor of Letters upon him in August 1962. Smith passed away in Oxford, OH on December 12, 1969. He was survived by his wife, Ophia D. Smith, and one son.