Archie Smith Jr.

Rev. Archie Smith Jr., PhD

August 4, 1939 – July 10, 2026

The Reverend Dr. Archie Smith Jr. was born to the late Archie Smith Sr. and Beatrice Smith. He grew up in the Central District of Seattle, a multicultural neighborhood that shaped his early life. Dr. Smith attended Horace Mann Elementary and Washington Junior High before graduating from Garfield High School in 1957.

The Smith family were longtime members of the historic Mount Zion Baptist Church, where Archie was a faithful and active member. Baptized by the Rev. Dr. F. Benjamin Davis and deeply influenced by the Rev. Gil B. Lloyd, Rev. Joe Denman, Rev. Rex Jones, Rev. Leon C. Jones, Rev. Robert H. Davis. and the visionary leadership of the Rev. Dr. Samuel Berry McKinney, Archie was proudly considered one of the “sons of Mount Zion.”

In the fall of 1957, Archie left Seattle to begin a lifelong, brilliant scholarly journey into the ministry. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Linfield College in 1961. Moving east to further his education, he ultimately earned three master's degrees and a doctorate: a Master of Divinity from Colgate Rochester Divinity School (1964), a Master of Sacred Theology (1966), a Master of Social Work (1973), and a PhD in Sociology (1973) from Brandeis University.

Archie was ordained as a minister through the American Baptist Churches USA in 1964 and began his ministry in New York City. In 1966, while teaching a biblical studies class in Brooklyn, New York, Archie met Geraldine Messina, who had come to evaluate his teaching. A deep friendship blossomed, and within five months, they were married. That same year, Archie was appointed Minister-to-the-Community at the historic First Baptist Church in Worcester, Massachusetts.

In 1975, Archie returned to the West Coast to join the faculty at the Pacific School of Religion (PSR) in Berkeley, California, where he later became the James and Clarice Foster Professor of Pastoral Psychology and Counseling. Dr. Smith made history as the first African American faculty member to receive tenure at both PSR and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. He taught until his resignation in 2011, which was driven by his longstanding concerns regarding racial discrimination and academic standards within the institution. His teaching, religious leadership, and mental health advocacy continue to shape generations of students, scholars, and clergy. Archie always encouraged those around him to ask questions and document their lives, often noting, "Write down your memories. It may be a gift to someone someday."

Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Smith became a pioneering voice in Black Psychology and Pastoral Care. A critical thinker and prolific writer, he authored and co-authored several influential books, including The Relational Self (1982), Navigating the Deep River (1997), Tending the Flock (1998), and Siblings by Choice (2004).

Archie generously gifted his life’s work—comprising published and unpublished papers spanning 1962 to 2013—to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library. Committed to historical remembrance, Archie attended the Jonestown Memorial at Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland every year for over 40 years; his extensive papers on Jonestown are permanently preserved as part of his Schomburg collection.

A Celebration of Life service was held at the historic Beth Eden Baptist Church in Oakland, California, on August 1, 2026. The Committal Service and Interment took place on August 7, 2026, at Abbey View Memorial Park in Brier, Washington.

Archie joins the ancestral lineage of his grandparents, parents and sister Marjorie Cottom (Harold). May his spirit be at peace.

He leaves to cherish his memory his wife, Geraldine Messina; his brother, Leonard Smith; his sisters, Joyce Long and Geraldine Smith; and a host of nephews, nieces, cousins, friends, former colleagues and students worldwide.