Thomas Smith was born to T. Callie Bond and Thomas Smith in Decatur, Illinois. Thomas attended elementary school and high school in Decatur. He was musically talented and took up drums at a young age.
He attended one semester of college at Illinois State University before enlisting in the Army, where he served from 1946 to 1949. He was stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington State and was a member of the Army band.
As a young man, Thomas was part of a territory band. Drummer Thomas and his band crisscrossed the Midwest, typically playing one-nighters, 6 or 7 nights a week.
While band life was fun and exciting, Thomas decided to continue his education. He received his bachelor’s degree in history and political science at Millikin University in Decatur. And then went on to receive his master’s degree in educational administration at the University of Chicago.
Mr. Smith worked as a teacher in the Chicago Public School System and then went on to become the first African American principal at Carver High School. He was also the first African American principal in the Davenport, Iowa School System in 1970. Mr. Smith instituted the first school in Davenport emphasizing a back-to-basics approach to learning in a more structured environment than the typical public school. This was Lincoln Fundamental School.
Thomas left education for a short period of time (1987 to 1989) and served as the Executive Director of the Rock Island Housing Authority.
Thomas returned to education as the principal of Grant Intensive Basic School in 1989, where he implemented many of the successful components of Lincoln Fundamental School.
Thomas moved to Arizona in 1996 to take a job as principal of Longfellow Elementary School. He retired from education in August 2003.
Mr. Smith was a proponent of the martial arts and loved playing tennis.
Thomas is survived by his wife, Helene; his son, Brian, Sr.; his grandchildren, Tiffany, Stephanie, and Brian, Jr.; his sister, Temetra Gronemeier; and his niece, Linn Hummel.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.9.5