Page 22 - St. Judes
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One of Webster’s favorite stories about Smith revolves around a
snazzy red Mustang.
“John was so proud of that car. He kept it beautifully polished,”
Webster said. “When it came time to go to a scientific meeting in
Nashville, John insisted the people in the lab should ride with him.
There were three of us, and John was driving.
“It took two days to get to Nashville,” Webster said, chuckling. “It
broke down twice on the way. That car had never been out of
Memphis in its life.”
After leaving St. Jude in 1978, Smith returned to California to found
the California Children’s Clinic in Hillcrest. He was a member of the
American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, the Southern
Society for Pediatric Research, the American Society for
Microbiology, the New York Academy of Sciences and the Royal
Society of Health.
Although Smith died at age 51, his legacy continues. At St. Jude, he
broke down racial barriers and worked to save lives and promote
scientific progress. A life well lived, out of the shadows at last.
