Steven Lane Smith, BJ ’69, recently won the Reviewers Choice Best Humorous Novel Prize for 2014 for his novel, “Caledonia Switch.” Set in a deceptively peaceful-looking New England town, protagonist John Hardin is the brightest star in the village’s universe. His vestiges of infantile omnipotence allow him to tread fearlessly on risk as he illegally trades options as a way of saving the family hardware store. As John blissfully amasses a fortune, his altruism mutates to greed. Smith says that he still has his margin notes from former J-School professor Don Romero: “Unimpressed with my writing assignment, he wrote, ‘Don’t worry, Smith, you’ll probably win a Pulitzer.'” A former fighter pilot and retired airline captain, he and his wife Aileen live in New England. Smith also attended the University of Louisville School of Law.

Updated: March 31, 2014