Edith Renfrow Smith, a supercentenarian and the first Black woman to graduate from Grinnell College, died on Friday at her residence in Chicago. She was 111 years old. Her daughter, Alice Smith, confirmed her passing.
Early Life and Education
Born in Poweshiek County, Iowa, at a time when its population was 20,000 residents, 55 of whom were Black, Renfrow Smith's family had roots in the abolitionist movement. Her grandfather, George Craig, had settled in Grinnell, Iowa, as a barber after escaping enslavement with assistance from John Brown.
Her parents, Lee and Eva Renfrow, worked as a cook and a laundress. Decades after Plessy v. Ferguson established "separate but equal" doctrines, the Renfrows prioritized education, ensuring all six of their children pursued higher education. In a 2023 interview, Renfrow Smith stated her mother's emphasis on education as an inalienable asset and recounted that family members supported each other's academic journeys.
Renfrow Smith attended Grinnell College, located near her home. She was the sole Black student at the institution at the time and, upon her graduation in 1937, became the college's first Black woman graduate. During her college years, she met aviator Amelia Earhart, who visited Grinnell to speak with students.
Career and Community Engagement
Renfrow Smith entered the workforce during the Great Depression, a period characterized by a significantly higher unemployment rate for Black individuals compared to whites, and a prevalence of Black female workers in domestic service. She secured employment in Chicago as a secretary to Oscar De Priest, the first African American elected to Congress in the post-Reconstruction era.
De Priest suggested she consider a teaching career, leading her to pursue a methods course. She subsequently served as an elementary school teacher for Chicago Public Schools for 22 years.
Married to Henry Smith in 1940, they had two daughters, Alice and Virginia, and resided on Chicago's South Side. The Smith family actively engaged with Chicago's Black cultural scene. Renfrow Smith met poet Gwendolyn Brooks at a YWCA program, an institution known for hosting prominent Black figures in Chicago. She also met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he delivered a speech at a synagogue.
Jazz musician Herbie Hancock, whose family lived across the street, described Renfrow Smith as a close family friend. Hancock later attended Grinnell College, where he developed his musical career, subsequently becoming a renowned jazz artist.
Later Life and Legacy
Following her retirement from Chicago Public Schools in 1976, Renfrow Smith engaged in volunteer work and pursued pie-making. She continued to receive visitors, with her daughter Alice Smith reporting she prepared refreshments for guests as recently as December 26.
Renfrow Smith participated in the "SuperAger" program at the University of Chicago's Healthy Aging & Alzheimer's Research Care Center and donated her remains for research. In a 2023 interview, she reflected on the extensive historical changes she had witnessed throughout her life, acknowledging both positive and negative developments.