Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 12-3-21

Feature
Dr. Walter L. Smith, Sr., 7th President Of FAMU, Dies
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Thursday, Dr. Wal- ter L. Smith, Sr., died. Dr. Smith passed at a local hos- pital after a lengthy illness at the age of 86.
Funeral Services for Dr. Smith will take place on Sat- urday, December 11, 2021, at 11 a. m. It will be held at Allen Temple A. M. E. Church. Ray Williams Funeral Home is in charge of handling arrange- ments.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Barbara Smith, a blended family of 5 children, 7 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren, other family members and friends.
Dr. Smith accomplished many achievements during his lifetime. He became the seventh president of Florida A & M University in 1977 and served until 1985. He was passionate about preserving Black History and collected information on Black Junior Colleges that had been merged with white schools.
He wrote a book about the schools entitled “The Magnificent 12,” docu- menting the existence of the schools.
He also created the Dr. Walter L. Smith, Sr., Library and filled it with memora- bilia of the time he lived in
South Africa, information and posters of the election of Nelson Mandela, and other cultural African arti- facts. The library came into existence after Dr. Smith retired in 2000.
Dr. Smith was the recip- ient of numerous awards, commendations and other forms of recognition.
His Early Years And Educational Background
A Tampa native, Dr. Smith was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Rubin (Eva) Reynolds.
He spent his childhood in in Cairo, Georgia, Tallahas- see, and Harlem, New York. He dropped out at the age of 16.
Before joining the U. S. Army, Dr. Smith worked in the garment district in Harlem.
After serving 30 months during the Korean War, he was discharged at age 23. It was at that point, that Dr. Smith realized the value of an education. He earned his GED and enrolled at Gibbs Junior College in St. Peters- burg, where he became pres- ident of the Student Government Association.
His path to an education next took him to Tallahassee, where he earned B. A. de-
DR. WALTER L. SMITH, SR. May 13, 1935 --- November 25, 2021
its existence, the Smith ad- ministration launched the Centennial Celebration Fund to establish a University En- dowment, which has grown to more than $150 million.
Other Career Accomplishments
In 1965, the United States Office of Education recruited Dr. Smith to become a pro- gram officer in facilitating the 1964 Civil Rights Act and Title I of the 1965 Elemen- tary Secondary Education Act.
He worked specifically with school districts in the eight Southeastern states in the development of desegre- gation plans and compensa- tory education programs for students and teachers throughout the south.
Dr. Smith was later re- cruited from the USOE by the National Education Associa- tion (NEA) to assist in break- ing down racial barriers in teacher organizations in the Southeastern States. He also assisted in the development of collective bargaining con- cepts for classroom teachers.
Dr. Smith was well known as an Orator and edu- cational leader who was con- cerned about preserving African American history in the education system.
He was loyal to FAMU and continued to work on be- half of the school until his re- tirement.
Dr. Smith became the first Assistant Executive Di- rector of The Florida Educa- tion Association. He was awarded a full scholarship by the African-American Insti- tute of African Studies to study abroad. Throughout the summer of 1971, he stud- ied at universities in Ghana, Togo, Dahomey (Benin), and Nigeria.
Following his tenure at FAMU, he moved on to Africa from 1985-86, where he was appointed senior Ful- bright Scholar at the Univer- sity of Malawi.
In 1993, he was asked to return to South Africa; later, he became the founding president of South Africa’s first American-style two-year college.
In 2007, the School of Ar- chitecture and Engineering Technology building at FAMU was named in his honor.
grees in Biology and Chem- istry. He was also the recipi- ent of a Master of Education degree in Administration and Supervision from FAMU as well.
Upon completion of his doctoral coursework at FSU in 1972, Dr. Smith was re- cruited by Hillsborough Community College (HCC) as assistant to the president. He was later promoted to col- legiums director, dean and provost at the college.
He earned a doctorate in Higher Education Adminis- tration from Florida State University in 1974. He was
also chosen as the second president of Roxbury Com- munity College, in Boston, that same year.
Accomplishments At FAMU
The Smith presidency at FAMU was marked by the ex- pansion of academic and re- search programs, improved athletics facilities and inter- national recognition.
During his presidency, FAMU grew from seven to 11 schools and colleges and added a Division of Graduate Studies and Continuing Edu- cation.
The 1980s also saw the expansion of the Gaither Ath- letic Center, which included the construction of a new Women’s Athletic Complex equipped with a track, an Olympic pool, men’s and women’s weight training rooms, and softball and base- ball fields. Bragg Memorial Stadium was renovated and expanded as well.
Dr. Smith spearheaded the development of the School of Allied Health Sci- ences, the School of General Studies, the School of Jour- nalism and Graphic Commu- nications, and the FAMU-FSU College of Engi- neering.
Under his leadership, the university received approval for its first Doctor of Philos- ophy degree, the Ph.D., in 1984, in Pharmacology. Graduate programs in Busi- ness, Architecture and Indus- trials Arts, also were established.
As the university pre- pared to observe 100 years of
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