Clyde J. Smith

As the world around him began to fade into history, illuminating his life, CLYDE JOHNSON SMITH consented to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on May 7, 2017, at Gilchrist Hospice, Baltimore, Maryland, surrounded by family and friends. Clyde was a man of strong convictions of his position in life. He knew adjustment, evaluation and reflection on specific accomplishments worked well in his stead. Clyde’s life began in the winter of December 5, 1932 to Clyde and Ruby Dalton in segregated Greenwood, South Carolina. He was the oldest of three boys. Seeking a better life for their child, at a young age and he was brought to live with his aunt Myrtle in Cherry Hill section of Baltimore City, Maryland where his education began. Clyde was baptized at St. Katherine Catholic Church in March 1967. Attending Junior High at Frederick Douglass High School strengthened his resolve to achieve and be an agent of change within his community. While in high school he believed in both physical and mental fitness. To achieve this he studied hard and participated in track and played football. The army beckoned him upon leaving high school. He served as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. Clyde was honorably discharged in 1955. Following his service in the Army, Clyde entered Morgan State College, but interrupted his schooling to join the Baltimore City Fire Department in 1959. This was his chosen profession that he mentally prepared himself to be the best firefighter he could be through learning the latest in the firefighting techniques. He faced many obstacles due to racial prejudice, however he endured and obtained many first. Clyde married his wife of more than fifty years, Barbara R. White. This association has been blessed throughout the years with a son Clyde William Smith and lots of family members. Family and friends called Clyde “Cherry Bill” or just “Billy”. After serving in the Baltimore City Fire Department for a few years he began receiving recognition. Testing in a segregated system was hard, but he prevailed scoring high enough to be promoted. Clyde was an inspiration to many young men with the desire to be firefighters during a period in which blacks were not welcome alongside their white counterparts in firefighting. Clyde’s commitment to making a difference has resulted in many achievements. He became the first black academy instructor, first black Battalion Chief and the first black Assistant Chief. The honors and recognition did not stop there. Clyde was community oriented and believed you have to do something not just talk about doing something. He was involved in City Sports for Youth, Sandtown-Winchester improvement project for youth and youth sponsor for the YMCA. Clyde and Barbara adopted African youth to live and experience American life with an American family (these youth, now men have their own families and remain a part of the Smith family with their children). He was also heavily involved in the community. He was a member of the NAACP, YMCA, Vulcan Blazers, National Firefighters Association and the President of the Grove Park Improvement Association. Clyde not only kept his body fit and healthy but he also did things to keep his mind stimulated. In 1974, he completed an Associates in Arts Degree from Community College of Baltimore. He believed no task was unattainable and spent hours studying. He took courses in writing and produced a memoir of the lynching in Greenwood, South Carolina entitled “Reluctantly Imposed Punishments”. This memoir is now preserved in the Library of Congress, April 2007. Life has been good to Clyde even though his last year or two cancer had become his body. He fought it the best he could, always with pride and dignity. Clyde J. Smith leaves his legacy: his beloved wife, Barbara R. Smith; son, Clyde William Smith; daughter, Lori Slade; brother, Ronald (Hattie) Smith; in-laws, William (Vera) White, Gerald (Wanda) White, Angela (Linwood) Tyler, twelve nieces and nephews, ten great-nieces and -nephews. Our family asks that you cherish the memory of Clyde Johnson Smith, a man of many first, who cherished life and wanted the best for his fellow men. He would always say “You have to do it, not just talk about it!!”

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Clyde J. Smith

December 5, 1932 - May 7, 2017