Smith was the face of The Salvation Army. A recipient
of the Order of the Founder in 2010, Smith wore his
that personifi ed the highest ideals of Salvationism.
In an interview with a reporter
for his hometown Birmingham,
Alabama, newspaper, he said,
"It's a nice feeling when you walk
the streets of Birmingham, or any
other street, in a Salvation Army
uniform �� that makes a state-
ment. It makes one statement
which I like: If you have problems,
somebody you want to talk to,
I'm a listener."
pilot and when he was not airborne, he
loved riding his Harley�Davidson motorcy-
cle. Commissioned in 1936, he served in appointments across the Southern
Territory and in Mexico City. He worked in several major disasters. As a
corps offi cer in Birmingham during the civil rights movement of the early
1960s, he went against the wishes of his local advisory board and offered the
corps as a sleeping place for the Freedom Riders as they passed through the
city in 1961. Later, he would spend the last nine years
of his active offi cership in Birmingham as the area commander. He was
president of the Birmingham chapter of the Kiwanis Club, a member of the
city's Police Advisory Committee and a founding member of the Birming-
ham Race Relations Committee.
to work three days a week into his
90s. He was a fi xture at United Way
events in Birmingham, worked
closely with the local advisory board
and was often seen visiting ailing
were hospitalized. In 1996,
selected to run as a
pics. He was 81 at the
without diffi culty.
Command held its
participant in the
made, and the face of The Salvation
Army in Birmingham became the
13th Salvationist from the Southern
Territory to receive the organiza-
tion's highest honor, the Order of
the Founder.
Territory's Southern Spirit.
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