Kelly Miller Smith (1920 - 1984)

Born 28 Oct 1920 in Mound Bayou, Bolivar, Mississippi, USA

Ancestors

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Biography

Kelly Smith is Notable.

This profile is part of the Mound Bayou, Mississippi One Place Study.

Kelly Miller Smith was a Baptist preacher, author, and prominent activist in the Civil Rights Movement.^[1]

Kelly Miller Smith was born on October 28, 1920 to Perry Monroe Smith (1876-1970) and Priscilla Juliet (Anderson) Smith (1885-1954), the fourth child in a family of seven children.

He attended school in Mound Bayou and graduated from Magnolia High School in Vicksburg, Warren County, Mississippi. He attended Tennessee State University from 1938 to 1940 as a music major, playing a variety of musical instruments including double bass, xylophone and piano. He had many musical compositions to his credit. He graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1942 with a Bachelor’s degree in Religion and later received a Master of Divinity Degree and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Howard University Divinity School in 1976.

He pastored the Mount Heroden Baptist Church in Vicksburg, Mississippi from 1946 to 1951.

He married Alice Mae Clark of Jackson, Mississippi, on June 19, 1950.^[2]

In 1951, Reverend Smith moved to Tennessee and became the pastor of First Baptist Church, Eighth Avenue, North – now Capitol Hill, in Nashville, Tennessee. He remained at First Baptist for thirty-three years.

Reverend Smith assumed a leadership role in the sit-in demonstrations and the desegregation of the public schools. He founded and presided over the Nashville Christian Leadership Council (NCLC) and the local chapter of the Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC). He served also as President of the Nashville chapter of the NAACP. He was a founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; President of the National Conference of Black Christians; National Chairman of the International Freedom Mobilization, and served on numerous boards and committees of national church and civic organizations.

Reverend Smith served on the faculties of Natchez College, Alcorn College American Baptist Theological Seminary and Vanderbilt Divinity School where he also served as Assistant Dean.

Kelly died on June 3 1984, survived by his wife, and four daughters and one son. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee.^[3]

His obituary appeared in the The Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee) on June 5, 1984.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_Miller_Smith
2. ↑ 1950 Newspaper: "Newspapers.com"
   Jackson Advocate (Jackson, Mississippi) Sat, May 6, 1950, page 3
   Newspapers Clip: 130164942 (accessed 17 August 2023)
3. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #27481425 (accessed 17 August 2023)
   Memorial page for Rev Kelly Miller Smith Sr. (28 Oct 1920-3 Jun 1984), citing Greenwood Cemetery, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA; Maintained by Donna (contributor 46910450).
4. ↑ 1984 Newspaper: "Newspapers.com"
   The Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee) Tue, Jun 5, 1984, page 14
   Newspapers Clip: 130164665 (accessed 17 August 2023)

See also:

• Funeral Program, Kelly Miller Smith: https://sahfr.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/smith-kelly-miller-sr-2.pdf