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Guide to the Reverend George Walker Smith Papers
MS-0399
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Collection Title: Reverend George Walker Smith Papers
Dates: 1950-2000
Identification: MS-0399
Creator:
Smith, George Walker, 1929-
Physical Description: 23.30 linear ft
Language of Materials:
English
Repository:
Special Collections & University Archives
5500 Campanile Dr. MC 8050
San Diego, CA, 92182-8050
URL: http://library.sdsu.edu/scua
Email: scref@rohan.sdsu.edu
Phone: 619-594-6791
Note:
Other Information:
This collection was processed as part of the San Diego African American Archives Project, made possible by a grant from the
President's Leadership Fund.
Reverend George Walker Smith was born in Hayneville, Alabama in 1929. He came from a family of sharecroppers on a large plantation.
As a child, Smith had always loved to read and learn, but his local school was only in session for a few months out of the
year, and there was no public high school for African-American students. The plantation owner, however, decided to send Smith
to an African-American high school, run by a church, in another county. Smith was the valedictorian of his graduating class.
He then received a scholarship for the Presbyterian College in Knoxville, TN. While at college, Smith met his wife, Irene.
After graduating, he began teaching during the school year and taking classes for a master's in education at Alabama State
University in the summer. Eventually, Smith became the vice principal of his school. During his teaching career, he witnessed
several violent acts of racism and social injustice that persuaded him to leave Alabama.
He moved to Pittsburgh, PA to attend the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary School, and interned at a predominately affluent,
white church for three years where he learned that "good people come in all colors." After seminary school, Smith left Pittsburgh
to lead the congregation at the Golden Hill United Presbyterian Church in San Diego.
In 1956, when Smith arrived in San Diego, Golden Hill United Presbyterian Church was in the process of building a new facility
in Allied Gardens, a predominately white suburb. While that church was under construction, Golden Hill United was, according
to Smith, the only integrated church in San Diego. Some members, however, began an unsuccessful letter-writing campaign requesting
a white reverend. Most of the white members left Smith's congregation after the completion of the Allied Gardens church,
making Golden Hill a predominately black church. Smith preached the social gospel to encourage community activism. He became
the first black member of the local Kiwanis Club. Later in his career, Smith was pastor at the Christ United Presbyterian
Church.
During the late 1950's city leaders noticed Smith, and were amenable to his ideas. He began joining various municipal boards,
and helped to form the Citizens Study Committee of the Board of Education in order to change the election policy of city-wide
votes to county-wide votes, in an effort to diversify the San Diego Board of Education. The committee was successful, and
the policy amended. In 1963, Smith ran for a Board of Education seat and won, making him the first elected African American
on the School Board. He began his tenure by changing the ethnic composition of teachers, and although he was initially supportive
of school integration, he later became disenchanted because of the still-prevalent social segregation. During Smith's sixteen
years on the Board, he served as president four times. In 1967, he was the first African American to join the National School
Board. He headed the United Negro College Fund for eighteen years, and in 1970, he participated in the White House Conference
on Children and Youth.
In 1970, Smith established the Catfish Club, a public forum for politicians and the community to voice their opinions on political
and social issues. He was the first chairman of the Citizens Advisory Review Board, which was set up to regulate police procedures.
He formed the Coalition for Racial Equality.
After over forty-five years pastoring in San Diego, Smith retired in 2000. He and his wife have three children.
This collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
African American clergy -- California -- San Diego -- Biography -- Sources
Christ United Presbyterian Church
Christ United Presbyterian Church (San Diego, Calif.) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Golden Hill United Presbyterian Church
Golden Hill United Presbyterian Church (San Diego, Calif.) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
United Presbyterian Church of North America -- Clergy -- California -- San Diego -- Biography -- Sou
Artifacts
Organizational Records
Personal Papers
Photographs
San Diego (Calif.) -- Church history -- 20th century -- Sources
San Diego (Calif.) -- Race relations -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Smith, George Walker
Smith, George Walker, 1929- -- Archives
African American clergy--California--San Diego--Biography
African American educators
African American educators -- California -- San Diego -- Biography -- Sources
African American social reformers -- California -- San Diego -- Biography -- Sources
African Americans -- California -- San Diego
African Americans -- California -- San Diego -- Biography -- Sources
African Americans--California--San Diego
The copyright interests in some of these materials have been transferred to or belong to San Diego State University. The nature
of historical archival and manuscript collections means that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine.
Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. Requests for permission to publish
must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. Permissions
is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available
for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including
but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.
This collection is open for research.
Identification of item, folder title, box number, Reverend George Walker Smith Papers, Special Collections and University
Archives, Library and Information Access, San Diego State University.
Leon Williams Papers (MS-0398)
Carlin Integration Case Records (MS-0029)
School Integration Task Force Records (MS-0234)
Alpha Pi Boulé Records (MS-0397)
Harold K. Brown Papers, 1956-2000 (MS-0442)
I. Personal Files, 1954-2000
II. Scrapbooks, 1963-1970
III. Awards and Plaques, 1950-2000
The
Reverend George Walker Smith Papers document Smith's ministerial career in San Diego at the Golden Hill United Presbyterian Church and Christ United Presbyterian
Church, as well as his political, social, educational, and religious achievements. The collection includes sermons, church
announcements, correspondence, Board of Education scrapbooks, news clippings, accolades, plaques and certificates of achievement,
Kiwanis Club Information, and newsletters. The collection is divided into three series:
Personal Files,
Scrapbooks, and
Awards/Plaques.
The
Personal Files, dating from 1954 to 2000, heavily document Smith's career in the church. This series is arranged alphabetically and includes
sermons, correspondence, Kiwanis Club information, Catfish Club information, newsletters, United Presbyterian General Assembly
statements, and church announcements. Smith's sermons make up the majority of this series. These files also contain an interesting
collection of letters from church members requesting a white reverend. There is little to no information regarding Smith's
time on the Board of Education, and very little information documenting his Catfish Club activities.
The
Scrapbooks series consists of four scrapbooks, arranged chronologically, three of which document Smith's Board of Education elections
and appointments during the 1960's. The fourth scrapbook documents Smith's 1970 election campaign for the fourth district
county supervisor seat, which he lost, along with other miscellaneous achievements. These scrapbooks contain mostly newspaper
clippings and accolades, but very few pictures.
The
Awards/Plaques (1950-2000) series document Smith's religious, social, educational, and political achievements, and contains certificates
of achievement and plaques arranged chronologically. Organizations such as the YMCA, Kiwanis Club, the NAACP, and the San
Diego City Council awarded Smith several of these plaques and certificates.