Walter L. Smith Sr., the passionate seventh president of Florida A&M University, who served in this capacity from 1977 to 1985, died Thursday in Tampa after a prolonged illness.
Smith, 86, was known for his skills as a gifted public speaker and education leader who took pride in growing from a humble early high school dropout to a recognized education leader and college and university president, initially at Roxbury Community College in Boston, Massachusetts, and then Florida A&M.
Although his interest in promoting educational opportunities spanned the globe, he was a dedicated and passionate supporter of Florida A&M University during and after his presidency.
“I was saddened to learn of the death of the seventh President and President Emeritus of Florida A&M University Walter L. Smith,” said FAMU President Larry Robinson in a press release. “Dr. Smith made an indelible mark as the University Director from 1977-1985, developing new academic programs and steering FAMU in the right direction. We are grateful for his guidance and celebrate his legacy and celebrate with the Smith family, friends and Rattlers around the world have a life dedicated to service and well lived. “
Champion for the Rattlers:Wilson: Dr. Walter L. Smith was a track and field athlete while he was FAMU. directed
Attempts to reach the family for comments were unsuccessful on Friday. Smith’s son Walter L. Smith II confirmed his father’s death in a social media post Thursday night.
Smith’s presidency at FAMU was marked by expansion of academic and research programs, improved athletics facilities, and international recognition.
During his presidency, FAMU grew from seven to eleven schools and colleges, adding a department for graduate studies and continuing education, according to the university.
The Gaither Athletic Center also expanded in the 1980s to include the construction of a new Women’s Athletic Complex with a lane, an Olympic pool, strength training rooms for men and women, and softball and baseball fields. The Bragg Memorial Stadium was renovated and expanded to 25,000 spectators and a modern field house was built.
Smith led the development of the School of Allied Health Sciences, the School of General Studies, the School of Journalism and Graphic Communications, and the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.
“Dr. Smith, along with his VP / Academic Affairs Dr. Gertrude Simmons, helped me and my faculty build the FAMU journalism program so well that we got it when we applied for national accreditation,” said Robert Ruggles, who as Dean of the school from 1982 to 2003, wrote on Facebook: “It was the first at a historically black university to receive such recognition. That was in the spring of 1982.”
In 1984 the university received recognition for its first Doctor of Philosophy, the Ph.D. in pharmacology, according to the university. Graduate programs in business administration, architecture, and industrial arts have also been established.
New facilities have been built to house the schools of Allied Health Sciences, Architecture, Business and Industry, and Nursing. The construction and renovation projects totaled more than $ 34 million.
As the university prepared to celebrate 100 years of existence, the Smith administration created the Centennial Celebration Fund to create a university foundation that has grown to more than $ 150 million.
“Dr. Smith had many accomplishments, but the launch of FAMU’s first major fundraising campaign, which raised $ 10 million and established the university’s foundation, was likely to crown him,” said Eddie Jackson, retired vice president for university relations, Tallahassee Democrat on Friday.
The earlier years of Walter L. Smith, Sr.
Smith was born in Tampa but grew up in Cairo, Georgia, Tallahassee and Harlem, New York. NY
Smith, who dropped out of high school at the age of 16, spent his young adult years in Harlem, where, according to FAMU, he found work as a delivery boy and shelf pusher in the New York clothing district before joining the U.S. Army.
He served 30 months during the Korean War. Upon his release at the age of 23, Smith earned his GED and enrolled at Gibbs Junior College in St. Petersburg, where he became president of the Student Union.
Smith returned to Tallahassee and earned two degrees from FAMU – a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Chemistry and a Master of Education in Administration and Supervision.
In 1965, Smith was recruited by the United States Office of Education where he became a program officer to support the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title I of the Elementary Secondary Education Act of 1965 under FAMU. He worked specifically with school districts in the eight southeastern states on developing suspension plans and compensatory education programs for students and teachers across the south.
Smith was later recruited by the National Education Association (NEA) from the USOE to help break down racial barriers in teacher organizations in the southeastern states. He also helped develop collective bargaining concepts for class teachers.
Smith became the first associate executive director of the Florida Education Association. He received a full scholarship from the African-American Institute of African Studies to study abroad. In the summer of 1971 he studied at universities in Ghana, Togo, Dahomey (Benin) and Nigeria.
After completing his doctorate at FSU in 1972, Smith was recruited as assistant to the president by Hillsborough Community College (HCC).
He was later promoted to director of the college, dean, and provost of the college.
He received his PhD in college administration from Florida State University in 1974 and was named second president of Roxbury Community College in Boston that same year.
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On August 11, 1977, the Florida Board of Regents named him President of FAMU. He was sworn in as President of FAMU on April 22, 1978.
“The major infrastructure improvements under Dr. Smith’s tenure as President of FAMU will be taken for granted long into the future, “Leon County Commission Chairman Bill Proctor said in a prepared statement Friday. “Dr. Smith was an excellent public speaker and brilliant storyteller. His fascinating mastery of meticulous historical detail made him a walking encyclopedia. His books and writings, particularly on Florida’s Historic Black Community College system and his work abroad in Africa, are timeless contributions worth reviewing. ” “
After working at FAMU, Smith went to Africa from 1985-86, where he was appointed Senior Fulbright Scholar at the University of Malawi. Smith focused on new college initiatives in Africa before returning to the FAMU campus.
In 1993 he was asked to return to South Africa; he later became the founding president of South Africa’s first two-year American-style college.
In 2007 FAMU named the School of Architecture and Engineering Technology building after him. Smith was instrumental in securing funding for the design and construction of the original building for the school, the university said.
Rodner Wright, who was named dean after Smith’s administration in 1996, said Smith’s support for the school continued throughout his tenure.
“He used to refer to me as ‘his dean’ because he was very proud that SOA was one of his programs,” said Wright. “He was also very proud that the renovated building was named after him. Whenever I saw him at university events in town or out of town, I was sure of him. “
Funeral arrangements will be announced later.
Contact community editor Byron Dobson at bdobson@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @byrondobson. This report was supplemented by the FAMU Office of Communications.
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