Portland Observar Thursday, Juna 26. 1960 Section II Paga 3
distinguished and well-earned titles fall away as he han-
"Subsequent moves from C liffo r d ’ s career as a
JPdy responds to “ C liff” and "D a d .”
student, and then for his professional working career,
House schedules revolve around the schedules o f the
meant that our first two daughters, Sharon and Debra,
vice president o l the university, but “ C l if f ” , the
were brought up in New England. Patricia will know the
husband, is carefully m indful o f his wife’s domain and
mid-west and the far west. Sharon is married now and
o f her individuality. Much o f h.s business entertaining is
lives in Washington, D C., with her husband, a 6'9”
done elsewhere to spare Mrs. Smith’s energies, although
basketball star o f the Dallas Chaparrals.
occasionally, she does entertain at small dinners at
" A ll of our girls are above average scholastically, but
home.
there are no engineers among them. Debra is not now
This handsom pair, who were childhood sweethearts,
living in our home with us, but she is in Corvallis with us
where married 27 years ago in a Catholic nuptial mass
attending graduate school. Her interests are in drama
back in Washington, D.C. Nina Smith laughs and says,
and literature.
“ When I was 12 years old 1 told my father I was going
Patricia, at 16, is a Corvallis high school senior. Her
to marry that good-looking boy across the street. And I
hobby is horseback riding. Here in Corvallis she has her
d id !”
own horse. Satin. We stable Satin at a place in the out­
They both attended Dunbar High School, the famous
skirts o f town.
school in W ashington, D .C ., so well known fo r
Our family is happy here and we are buying this
educating and molding many o f the nation's Black
house. For all of us, living in a small college town is a
leaders - those fortunate to have been enrolled there
rewarding experience. Our neighbors are our friends
when they were young.
and we see many o f them at church at St. Mary's where
Nina was ready to m arry C lif f as soon as she
we attend. The deer and opposum wander through our
graduated from Dunbar, but her father had her life
gardens at night, and Shannon, the family dog, runs
planned otherwise. F irst, there had to be more
along with C liff when he jogs in the mornings.
education, he said, to prepare her for the practical side
Co-vallis knows the C lifford Smiths are in town, the
o f living.
Smiths laugh and tell the story about the elderly gentle­
Nina is glad she heeded her father’ s advice. She
men who called them on the telephone. " Is this the
enrolled in a school o f nursing in boston in the begin­
Smith residence?" the caller asked. Trisha answered in
ning. Later, she was graduated from the Philadelphia
the affirmative.
General Hospital, a huge institution with 2700 beds.
"A re you Black?” he asked.
Nina specialized in post-operative surgical nursing and
"Yes, I am Black," the lovely girl responded.
in orthopoedic care.
"Is your mother Black?" the caller persisted.
Diploma practically in hand, Nina and C lifford Smith
"Y es,” was the answer.
were married and greeting guests lucky enough to be in­
“ I hear your father is Black.” At this point Trisha
vited to their wedding just two weeks after Nina was
handed the telephone over to her father.
graduated.
"W e ll," the caller went on, “ We need some enter­
A job in the family proved to be a handy thing as
tainment at our club meeting and I thought if you could
C liffo rd had entered graduate school. “ I worked as
come sing tor us or dance, or sent someone...”
regulalrly as I could,” Mrs. Smith recalls. “ I started at
The end o f story? C lifford Smith, the vice president
Washington Hospital Center in Washington. Usually I
o f Oregon State Unviersity, a professor o f Engineering,
worked as a “ charge" nurse. I worked in hosptials with
a consultant for NASA, made a little preliminary ex­
mixed staff, racially, in whatever city we found our­
planation to the telephone caller. Then, two weeks ago.
selves.
Dr. Smith went to the caller's small group. He made a
M R S N IN A S M IT H
talk on “ Environmental Engineering” and scaled it to
fit their level o f understanding.
Mrs. Smith finds time to be treasurer for the Corvallis
branch of the NAACP. She is also a member o f the
OSU Folk Club, an organization for faculty wives.
In the coming autum, Mrs. Smith w ill be back in
school and at a hospital for a refresher course in nur­
sing. Following the completion o f her brush-up period
she plans to teach or to become an administrator in
some phase o f her profession.
(Photos: Richard B rown)
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