Kenneth B. Smith
The Rev. Kenneth Bryant Smith Sr. (February 19, 1931 – January 21, 2008) was a Chicago-area community leader and minister.
Smith was born in Montclair, New Jersey. After earning a bachelor's degree at Virginia Union University in 1953 and a master's degree from Drew University in 1954, he came to Chicago in the late 1950s to attend Bethany Theological Seminary, then located outside the city.[1] He was ordained by the United Church of Christ and began his career as an associate pastor at the Congregational Church of Park Manor.[citation needed] From there, he founded the Trinity United Church of Christ, before pastoring long-term at Church of the Good Shepherd in Washington Park.[citation needed]
From 1979 to 1982,[citation needed] he was a member of the Chicago Board of Education. On May 16, 1980, only eight months after he joined the board, the members of the board elected him to a one-year term as the board's president. He was the first black person to hold the office since it was created in 1840.[2] Smith ultimately declined to seek reelection by the board to its presidency in 1981.[3]
From 1984 to 1999 he served as president of Chicago Theological Seminary.[citation needed]
In 1996, he received the Chicago History Museum "Making History Award" for Distinction in Public Service.[citation needed]
References
- ^ The Honorable Kenneth Smith, Sr., The HistoryMakers. Accessed July 21, 2015. "The Reverend Dr. Kenneth B. Smith, Sr. was born in Montclair, New Jersey, on February 19, 1931."
- ^ Banas, Casey (17 May 1980). "Finances, unity are key issues: Smith". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ Banas, Casey (9 May 1981). "Smith sees Brandzel as school board chief". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
Sources
- http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-hed_ksmithjan23,1,197927.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
- http://www.isfbank.com/kenneth_smith.html
- https://web.archive.org/web/20120211113126/http://www.wideopenthinking.org/?p=111
- Speller, Julia (2005). Walkin' the Talk: Keepin the Faith in Afrocentric Congregations, Pilgrim Press.
- Susan B. Thistlethwaite (2008), "Remembering Ken Smith." Wide Open Thinking. Chicago Theological Seminary. https://web.archive.org/web/20120211113126/http://www.wideopenthinking.org/?p=111
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