Thirlee Smith, Jr.

Smith is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Thirlee and Beulah Smith. His father moved to Miami from Texas in 1939, where he met Beulah Finley, a native of Miami. Smith and his two sisters, Odessa Felder and State Senator Frederica Wilson (serving District 33) resided with their family in one of their grandparent’s houses, at 1762 NW 4th Avenue, in Overtown, until Smith was three-years old. His father’s dream of owning a home became a reality when they built a house from the ground up in Liberty City at 1611 NW 64th Street. Smith fondly recalls having his own room in their newly built home. He attended Liberty City Elementary and Miami Northwestern Senior High School where he graduated in 1956. Smith was the first Editor-in-Chief of the Miami Northwesterner, the official newspaper of the school, and was honored was honored with inclusion in Miami Northwestern’s Hall of Fame.

After graduation Smith was off to Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he earned a BA in History and a Master’s in Education in the Experienced Teacher Fellowship Program. His post-graduate studies in the University of Miami’s Education Act Program earned him certification in Educational Administration. In 1960, he was featured in Who’s Who in American College and Universities.

In 1961, Smith began his teaching career in the District of Columbia’s public school system. He moved back to Florida in 1967 to teach in Dade County’s Public Schools. That same year he became the first black staff writer for the Miami Herald. In 1975, after a 4-year assignment at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, he returned to teach in Dade County, becoming an Assistant Principal in 1994. Smith was promoted in 1997 to his current position as the District Coordinator for African American History for Dade County Public Schools. As coordinator, he assists in writing the African-American History curriculum, and is involved in the implementation of legislation regarding African-American History teaching. He also conducts workshops, and assists principals and other administrators to ensure programs are in compliance with the district Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) requirements. Amazingly, Smith finds time to publish and support GRIOT, the district quarterly publication of African-American History.

Smith is a member of St. Agnes Episcopal Church, the Florida State Council of Social Studies, the Miami-Dade County Council for the Social Studies, the Miami-Dade County Association of School Administrators, the NAACP, the Board of Trustees for the Black Archives of South Florida, the National Alliance of Black School Educators, the Smithsonian Institute Resident Fellow, and the Miami-Dade County Public Schools 5000 Role Models of Excellence Program.

Source: Miami Northwestern Hall of Fame program; The Black Archives History & Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc.