Mrs. BLANCHE LOUISE (PRESTON) McSMITH was the daughter of the Rev. William A. Preston and Mrs. Obelia Batte Preston.
Obituary
"The first African-American to serve in the Alaska House of Representatives, Blanche Louise Preston McSmith, 86, died July 28, 2006, in Anchorage. A viewing will be from 11 to 11:45 a.m., with a service at noon, Saturday at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. The Rev. Alonzo Patterson will officiate. A reception will follow the service at the church. Mrs. McSmith was born May 5, 1920, to the Rev. William and Obelia Preston, in Marshall, Texas. She graduated from Wiley College in 1941 and earned a master's degree in social work from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in 1944. She moved to Kodiak in 1949. In 1950, she moved to Anchorage, where she lived with her husband, William McSmith. Her family wrote: 'Blanche and her husband established McSmith Enterprises, a local television and appliance store which included a real estate business and liquor store. She was the associate editor in charge of the local news, The Alaska Spotlight, Alaska's first black newspaper. She and 10 other local Negroes, which included John Thomas, John Parks and Clarence Coleman, organized the local chapter of the NAACP with the aim to open jobs and residential areas to people of color and to integrate public places. Blanche led public protests and marches in Anchorage to achieve these goals. When she and her husband moved to Anchorage in 1950, no one would rent a house or an apartment to them. There were houses for sale, but there was no bank financing available, as white owners refused to carry mortgages for 'coloreds.' Blanche (remembered) the day she and William deposited their savings at a local bank. She asked the bank manager for an employment application. Without asking her about her qualifications, his curt reply was 'We have no openings for janitors right now.' Blanche organized the Afro-American Historical Society of Alaska. On January 25, 1960, she was appointed by then-Gov. William Egan to serve in the Legislature, thus becoming the first African-American to serve in that body. She addressed a joint session of the Alabama Legislature that year. After leaving her term on the board of directors of the Greater Anchorage Area Community Action Agency in 1968, she joined the Head Start program staff as the social services manager until she moved to Juneau. Additionally, she served as an officer on the board of the Anchorage Tuberculosis Association, the League of Women Voters, and was a member of various Toastmaster clubs and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She was a lifelong active member of the Democratic Party of Alaska. She continued to fight for social and economic justice. Blanche and her daughter, Kymberly, moved to Juneau in 1972. There, she became the director in the Office of the Governor for the Public Employment Program. She held that position until she retired in the early 1980's. She stayed in Juneau until 1998, when she returned to Anchorage to live. Mrs. McSmith is survived by her daughter, Kymberly Blanche McSmith, of Anchorage; her niece, Claudell Lewis; her grandchildren, Thomas Walton II and Diamond Lewis; and niece and nephews, Janice Hopkins, Welborn Preston Jr., Welborn Preston III, William Anton Preston and Wayman Preston; sister-in-law, Betty Preston-Boiling; her sisters, Ruby Jordan and Kittie Cherry; and nieces, Sherry Gibson and Jeanette Gonzales."
Sources
~ Obituary Published in the Wednesday, August 2, 2006 Edition of Anchorage Daily News [an Alaska Newspaper]
~ Death Announcement & Obituary Published in the Thursday, November 2, 2006 Edition of Our Weekly [an newspaper of Los Angeles, California]
~ Newspaper Article Entitled "Marshall Negro In Alaska Legislature" Published in the Wednesday, June 17, 1959 Edition of The Marshall News Messenger [the newspaper of Harrison County, Texas]
~ https://vilda.alaska.edu/digital/collection/cdmg21/id/5500/
~ https://www.blackpast.org/aaw/
Obituary
"The first African-American to serve in the Alaska House of Representatives, Blanche Louise Preston McSmith, 86, died July 28, 2006, in Anchorage. A viewing will be from 11 to 11:45 a.m., with a service at noon, Saturday at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. The Rev. Alonzo Patterson will officiate. A reception will follow the service at the church. Mrs. McSmith was born May 5, 1920, to the Rev. William and Obelia Preston, in Marshall, Texas. She graduated from Wiley College in 1941 and earned a master's degree in social work from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in 1944. She moved to Kodiak in 1949. In 1950, she moved to Anchorage, where she lived with her husband, William McSmith. Her family wrote: 'Blanche and her husband established McSmith Enterprises, a local television and appliance store which included a real estate business and liquor store. She was the associate editor in charge of the local news, The Alaska Spotlight, Alaska's first black newspaper. She and 10 other local Negroes, which included John Thomas, John Parks and Clarence Coleman, organized the local chapter of the NAACP with the aim to open jobs and residential areas to people of color and to integrate public places. Blanche led public protests and marches in Anchorage to achieve these goals. When she and her husband moved to Anchorage in 1950, no one would rent a house or an apartment to them. There were houses for sale, but there was no bank financing available, as white owners refused to carry mortgages for 'coloreds.' Blanche (remembered) the day she and William deposited their savings at a local bank. She asked the bank manager for an employment application. Without asking her about her qualifications, his curt reply was 'We have no openings for janitors right now.' Blanche organized the Afro-American Historical Society of Alaska. On January 25, 1960, she was appointed by then-Gov. William Egan to serve in the Legislature, thus becoming the first African-American to serve in that body. She addressed a joint session of the Alabama Legislature that year. After leaving her term on the board of directors of the Greater Anchorage Area Community Action Agency in 1968, she joined the Head Start program staff as the social services manager until she moved to Juneau. Additionally, she served as an officer on the board of the Anchorage Tuberculosis Association, the League of Women Voters, and was a member of various Toastmaster clubs and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She was a lifelong active member of the Democratic Party of Alaska. She continued to fight for social and economic justice. Blanche and her daughter, Kymberly, moved to Juneau in 1972. There, she became the director in the Office of the Governor for the Public Employment Program. She held that position until she retired in the early 1980's. She stayed in Juneau until 1998, when she returned to Anchorage to live. Mrs. McSmith is survived by her daughter, Kymberly Blanche McSmith, of Anchorage; her niece, Claudell Lewis; her grandchildren, Thomas Walton II and Diamond Lewis; and niece and nephews, Janice Hopkins, Welborn Preston Jr., Welborn Preston III, William Anton Preston and Wayman Preston; sister-in-law, Betty Preston-Boiling; her sisters, Ruby Jordan and Kittie Cherry; and nieces, Sherry Gibson and Jeanette Gonzales."
Sources
~ Obituary Published in the Wednesday, August 2, 2006 Edition of Anchorage Daily News [an Alaska Newspaper]
~ Death Announcement & Obituary Published in the Thursday, November 2, 2006 Edition of Our Weekly [an newspaper of Los Angeles, California]
~ Newspaper Article Entitled "Marshall Negro In Alaska Legislature" Published in the Wednesday, June 17, 1959 Edition of The Marshall News Messenger [the newspaper of Harrison County, Texas]
~ https://vilda.alaska.edu/digital/collection/cdmg21/id/5500/
~ https://www.blackpast.org/aaw/
Mrs. BLANCHE LOUISE (PRESTON) McSMITH was the daughter of the Rev. William A. Preston and Mrs. Obelia Batte Preston.
Obituary
"The first African-American to serve in the Alaska House of Representatives, Blanche Louise Preston McSmith, 86, died July 28, 2006, in Anchorage. A viewing will be from 11 to 11:45 a.m., with a service at noon, Saturday at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. The Rev. Alonzo Patterson will officiate. A reception will follow the service at the church. Mrs. McSmith was born May 5, 1920, to the Rev. William and Obelia Preston, in Marshall, Texas. She graduated from Wiley College in 1941 and earned a master's degree in social work from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in 1944. She moved to Kodiak in 1949. In 1950, she moved to Anchorage, where she lived with her husband, William McSmith. Her family wrote: 'Blanche and her husband established McSmith Enterprises, a local television and appliance store which included a real estate business and liquor store. She was the associate editor in charge of the local news, The Alaska Spotlight, Alaska's first black newspaper. She and 10 other local Negroes, which included John Thomas, John Parks and Clarence Coleman, organized the local chapter of the NAACP with the aim to open jobs and residential areas to people of color and to integrate public places. Blanche led public protests and marches in Anchorage to achieve these goals. When she and her husband moved to Anchorage in 1950, no one would rent a house or an apartment to them. There were houses for sale, but there was no bank financing available, as white owners refused to carry mortgages for 'coloreds.' Blanche (remembered) the day she and William deposited their savings at a local bank. She asked the bank manager for an employment application. Without asking her about her qualifications, his curt reply was 'We have no openings for janitors right now.' Blanche organized the Afro-American Historical Society of Alaska. On January 25, 1960, she was appointed by then-Gov. William Egan to serve in the Legislature, thus becoming the first African-American to serve in that body. She addressed a joint session of the Alabama Legislature that year. After leaving her term on the board of directors of the Greater Anchorage Area Community Action Agency in 1968, she joined the Head Start program staff as the social services manager until she moved to Juneau. Additionally, she served as an officer on the board of the Anchorage Tuberculosis Association, the League of Women Voters, and was a member of various Toastmaster clubs and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She was a lifelong active member of the Democratic Party of Alaska. She continued to fight for social and economic justice. Blanche and her daughter, Kymberly, moved to Juneau in 1972. There, she became the director in the Office of the Governor for the Public Employment Program. She held that position until she retired in the early 1980's. She stayed in Juneau until 1998, when she returned to Anchorage to live. Mrs. McSmith is survived by her daughter, Kymberly Blanche McSmith, of Anchorage; her niece, Claudell Lewis; her grandchildren, Thomas Walton II and Diamond Lewis; and niece and nephews, Janice Hopkins, Welborn Preston Jr., Welborn Preston III, William Anton Preston and Wayman Preston; sister-in-law, Betty Preston-Boiling; her sisters, Ruby Jordan and Kittie Cherry; and nieces, Sherry Gibson and Jeanette Gonzales."
Sources
~ Obituary Published in the Wednesday, August 2, 2006 Edition of Anchorage Daily News [an Alaska Newspaper]
~ Death Announcement & Obituary Published in the Thursday, November 2, 2006 Edition of Our Weekly [an newspaper of Los Angeles, California]
~ Newspaper Article Entitled "Marshall Negro In Alaska Legislature" Published in the Wednesday, June 17, 1959 Edition of The Marshall News Messenger [the newspaper of Harrison County, Texas]
~ https://vilda.alaska.edu/digital/collection/cdmg21/id/5500/
~ https://www.blackpast.org/aaw/
Obituary
"The first African-American to serve in the Alaska House of Representatives, Blanche Louise Preston McSmith, 86, died July 28, 2006, in Anchorage. A viewing will be from 11 to 11:45 a.m., with a service at noon, Saturday at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. The Rev. Alonzo Patterson will officiate. A reception will follow the service at the church. Mrs. McSmith was born May 5, 1920, to the Rev. William and Obelia Preston, in Marshall, Texas. She graduated from Wiley College in 1941 and earned a master's degree in social work from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in 1944. She moved to Kodiak in 1949. In 1950, she moved to Anchorage, where she lived with her husband, William McSmith. Her family wrote: 'Blanche and her husband established McSmith Enterprises, a local television and appliance store which included a real estate business and liquor store. She was the associate editor in charge of the local news, The Alaska Spotlight, Alaska's first black newspaper. She and 10 other local Negroes, which included John Thomas, John Parks and Clarence Coleman, organized the local chapter of the NAACP with the aim to open jobs and residential areas to people of color and to integrate public places. Blanche led public protests and marches in Anchorage to achieve these goals. When she and her husband moved to Anchorage in 1950, no one would rent a house or an apartment to them. There were houses for sale, but there was no bank financing available, as white owners refused to carry mortgages for 'coloreds.' Blanche (remembered) the day she and William deposited their savings at a local bank. She asked the bank manager for an employment application. Without asking her about her qualifications, his curt reply was 'We have no openings for janitors right now.' Blanche organized the Afro-American Historical Society of Alaska. On January 25, 1960, she was appointed by then-Gov. William Egan to serve in the Legislature, thus becoming the first African-American to serve in that body. She addressed a joint session of the Alabama Legislature that year. After leaving her term on the board of directors of the Greater Anchorage Area Community Action Agency in 1968, she joined the Head Start program staff as the social services manager until she moved to Juneau. Additionally, she served as an officer on the board of the Anchorage Tuberculosis Association, the League of Women Voters, and was a member of various Toastmaster clubs and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She was a lifelong active member of the Democratic Party of Alaska. She continued to fight for social and economic justice. Blanche and her daughter, Kymberly, moved to Juneau in 1972. There, she became the director in the Office of the Governor for the Public Employment Program. She held that position until she retired in the early 1980's. She stayed in Juneau until 1998, when she returned to Anchorage to live. Mrs. McSmith is survived by her daughter, Kymberly Blanche McSmith, of Anchorage; her niece, Claudell Lewis; her grandchildren, Thomas Walton II and Diamond Lewis; and niece and nephews, Janice Hopkins, Welborn Preston Jr., Welborn Preston III, William Anton Preston and Wayman Preston; sister-in-law, Betty Preston-Boiling; her sisters, Ruby Jordan and Kittie Cherry; and nieces, Sherry Gibson and Jeanette Gonzales."
Sources
~ Obituary Published in the Wednesday, August 2, 2006 Edition of Anchorage Daily News [an Alaska Newspaper]
~ Death Announcement & Obituary Published in the Thursday, November 2, 2006 Edition of Our Weekly [an newspaper of Los Angeles, California]
~ Newspaper Article Entitled "Marshall Negro In Alaska Legislature" Published in the Wednesday, June 17, 1959 Edition of The Marshall News Messenger [the newspaper of Harrison County, Texas]
~ https://vilda.alaska.edu/digital/collection/cdmg21/id/5500/
~ https://www.blackpast.org/aaw/
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
