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

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