Walter L. Smith (scholar)

Walter Lee Smith (May 13, 1935 – November 25, 2021) was president of Florida A&M University (FAMU), serving from 1977 until 1985.[1][2] The privately-owned Walter L. Smith Library has a collection and hold programs related to African American history.

Smith received a bachelor's degree from Florida A&M University and a doctorate from Florida State University.[3][4]

He was an Africa-America Institute Scholar to West Africa in 1971 and studied African culture and history.[3] He worked for the U.S. government on federal school desegregation programs and at the Kennedy Space Center developing educational curriculum for engineering assistants on the Saturn V program before becoming an administrator at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa and then Roxbury Community College in Massachusetts.[3]

From 1995 until 2000 he was a professor at the University of Florida.[3] He served as FAMU's seventh non-interim president[5] from 1977 until 1985.

FAMU's campus includes the Walter L. Smith Architecture Building [6] Florida State has a scholarship program in his honor.

The Florida State Archives have a photo of him presenting and award in 1984.[7] In the late 1980s a video about Walter L. Smith and his accomplishments at FAMU was released. Julian Bond introduces the film.[8]

He gave a presentation on race and education in Florida in 2014.[9]

He sued FAMU President Frederick Humphries accusing him of withholding a payment over professional rivalry.[10]

In 2009 he received an award from the NEA.[11]

References
  3. "NEA fetes retired professor Walter L. Smith » COE News » College of Education, University of Florida". education.ufl.edu.
  4. "The late former FAMU President Walter L. Smith leaves a safe place in Tampa for kids to learn". 10 June 2022.
  6. "School of Architecture and Engineering Technology- Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University2019". www.famu.edu.
  7. Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Florida A&M University president Walter Smith presenting Service Citation to Annette P. Thorpe in Tallahassee". Florida Memory.
  8. Florida, State Library and Archives of. "FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIVERSITY: THE WALTER SMITH YEARS". Florida Memory.
  9. "Dr. Walter Smith on Race and Education in Florida". sfcollege.campuslabs.com.
  10. "Slip Opinion". myfloridalegal.com.
  11. Rattler, News (April 22, 2009). "RattlerWIRE: FAMU's Former President Walter Smith is the First African American Recipient of the NEA 2009 Applegate-Dorros Peace and Int. Understanding Award". {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
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