Dr. Marcia V. Smith - Ocean City's first women physician

Dr. Marcia V. Smith 1898 – 1995

Dr. Smith and Chris (far right) at a event at the Ocean City Youth Center on 6th Street (no longer there). Can you identify any of the other people in this photo? If so contact me: billkelly3@gmail.com

A permanent granite marker was placed at the park between 5th and 6th streets in Ocean City that reads: “Marcia V. Smith, MD – Citizen – October 9, 1960.”

I don’t know if it is still there, but there’s a picture of it in Fred Miller’s book on Ocean City.

But Dr. Smith was more than just a citizen. She was the first women physician in Ocean City and widely recognized as a humanitarian, a patron of the arts and a good friend and neighbor.

Born in Petersburg in Upper Township, Cape May County, N.J. on May 28, 1898, Marcia Van Gilder was the daughter of a retired seaman turned businessman and member of the Upper Township Board of Education. He was said to be a strong believer in the freedom of choice and encouraged her to develop her abilities as far as she could go.

Marcia graduated from Tuckahoe High School in 1916, obtained a degree from Temple University and received her medical degree in 1922 from the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (now part of the University of Pennsylvania). Returning to Ocean City she became a general practitioner and family doctor, a practice that she began in 1924 and continued until she retired on November 8, 1973. As the first women physician in Ocean City she specialized in delivering babies and caring for the sick.

She met her husband Chris Montagna while taking care of his mother. Born in Italy, the Sea Isle City fisherman relocated to Ocean City where he opened Chris’ Seafood restaurant on the bay at 9th street.

From when they were married in 1933, Dr. Smith and Chris lived in a large, cedar shingled house at 821 Wesley Avenue, where Dr. Smith worked out of an office on the first floor. (Dr. Townsend lived in the house next door at 823 Wesley).

No one was ever turned away from Dr. Smith’s door as she cared for everyone who came to her would regard to their ability to pay for her services. While Dr. Smith carried on her medical work, much of it for charity, her husband became a successful businessman as the owner and operator of Chris’ Restaurant, a lone-time landmark at the foot of the 9th street causeway bridge, where he also ran a line of fishing and touring boats.

Taking inspiration from Albert Schweitzer, the philosopher, musician and African missionary doctor – his bust sat on her desk, Dr. Smith supported many humanitarian activities and traveled widely throughout the world, making trips to Canada, Japan and China and maintaining correspondence with those she met until she died.

An early benefactor of Shore Memorial Hospital, she assisted those who conducted cancer research, initiated the first boardwalk art show (with Jim Penlyn) and was an early supporter of the fledgling state of Israel.

She was honored with a special “Marcia Smith Week” in October, 1960 when the park monument was dedicated and she was the guest of honor at a testimonial dinner at the Flanders Hotel where James G. McDonald, the first US Ambassador to Israel praised her for her humanitarian work here and abroad.

The monument, dedicated on October 9, 1960, weighs 400 pounds and was brought to American from Israel because of her early support of Israel and “the brotherhood of man.” She received the highest award presented to a non-Israelite. Then Mayor Nathaniel Smith said Dr. Smith, “has been quite an asset to the community and has always been willing to come to the aid of those needing her help without a minute’s hesitation.”

A newspaper editorialized: “All of us in Ocean City can take a large measure of pride in the exceptional achievements of Dr. Marcia V. Smith, who last week received the unusual distinction of having a week set aside in her horror by the Mayor. Dr. Smith deserved it.”

“First as a physician she has made herself available to take care of as many people who otherwise would have been without expert medical attention. This service she has performed quietly with no attempt to gain personal recognition.”

“Her work in the Bonds for Israel campaign is another example of the way she goes about helping causes in which she is interested. So unusual was her concern for the development of a friend country where the people are not even of her own faith that the Israeli government saw fit to honor her with a monument which last week was dedicated at the city park.”

“Finally, Saturday night she was the guest of honor at a “Marcia V. Smith Banquet” at the Flanders Hotel and received high tribute from many civic leaders for her work.”

When she retired from medical practice she said, “I have always found it wonderful to think my own thoughts and not care whether I am popular with other people. If a person cares too much what other people think, then they become slaves to what isn’t worthwhile.”

Since the death of her husband, Dr. Smith lived at the Luthern Home in Ocean View, where she died on March 23, 1995 at age of 96.

The 6th Street monument is a lasting testament to Dr. Marchia Smith, who was more than just a fellow citizen.

As her next door neighbor for many years (1967-1995), I got to know Dr. Smith and Chris really well.

The first time I met her was the first week we moved to 819 Wesley Avenue and my brother's dog got into a dog fight with Quickie's dog on the other side of the back alley. Quickie, like my father, was a former Camden policeman who had a rooming house next to Kazmark's motel across from the post office. We stayed at Quickie's guest house a few times, as well as Brown's Guest houses on Moorlyn Terrace before my family bought 819 Wesley, at my instigation.

When we first moved in Leo's dog ran out of the yard and across the alley and was fighting with Quickie's dog, and I got bit on my hand while pulling them apart. Quickie also got bit pretty bad, so we went over to Dr. Smith's office on the ground floor of her house and she took us in and bandaged us up. She was pretty old then but she kept her doctor's door open for quite awhile before she was forced to retire.

After Chris died and she had to move to a nursing home, they had a professional auction company come in and auction off all the contents of the house, and I still have some items that I either bought for a few dollars or got at the end that were just left over and nobody wanted - including a green reading chair, the bust of Albert Schweitzer, an antique wood Majong game she got in China, a stash of old photos and an album of newspaper clippings that mention her and her work from over the years.