LeRoy and Reatha Smith Papers

LeRoy and Reatha Smith Papers, 1920-1939

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Smith, LeRoy Dee, b. 1907; Smith, Reatha Loita Parcell, 1903-1976
Title: LeRoy and Reatha Smith Papers
Dates: 1920-1939 (inclusive)
19201939
Quantity: 2.0 cubic feet, (2 boxes)
Collection Number: MS.48
Summary: LeRoy and Reatha Smith were Pacific University graduates who were active in the field of education in Oregon and California. The collection includes correspondence, diaries, notes, educational records, photographs and other material.
Repository: Pacific University, Archives
Pacific University Archives
2043 College Way
Forest Grove, OR
97116
Telephone: 5033521400
archives@pacificu.edu
Access Restrictions: Collection is open for research.
Languages: English
Sponsor: Sponsored by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection includes correspondence, diaries, notes, educational records, photographs and other material relating to school and personal life in Oregon and California from the 1920s-1930s. About half of the collection consists of letters between LeRoy and Reatha Smith, as well as their extended families. These letters and much of the other material in the collection show how these educators taught and engaged with their communities in Forest Grove, Oregon and Berkeley, California.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

LeRoy and Reatha Smith were Pacific University graduates who were active in the field of education in Oregon and California. Reatha Loita Parcell Smith (1903-1976), daughter of a Carnation Milk field manager in Forest Grove, Oregon, graduated from Pacific University in that city (1926) and taught school at nearby Wilhelmina High School. Her husband, Leroy D. Smith (1907-after 1978), son of a Berkeley (Calif.) attorney and cattle rancher, graduated from Pacific University (1928) and later taught high school in Forest Grove, Oregon (c1930-43), where he eventually rose to the rank of Vice Principal. After 1943, the Smiths lived in Berkeley, California. Mr. Smith was a counselor at Alameda High School until his retirement (c1972). The Smiths were both very active in their communities. They were involved with Greek life at Pacific University and many other clubs and organizations. In his spare time, Mr. Smith made bows and arrows, taught archery, and worked with the Boy Scouts. The Smiths were also active members of the Berkeley First Congregational Church. Retha and Leroy Smith had two sons. The eldest, Roger, became a Congregationalist minister in northern California. Myron, the Smith's second son, taught high school chemistry in Washington state.

The information above was adapted from biographical notes compiled by the University of the Pacific Special Collections. The text appears in their finding aid for the Smith Collection of Pacific Coast Newspaper Transcripts, 1856-1890, which is held in the Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

LeRoy and Reatha Smith Papers, Pacific University Archives, Forest Grove, Oregon.

Restrictions on Use

Pacific University owns the copyright to some, but not all, of the materials housed in its archives. Copyright for materials authored or otherwise produced as official business of Pacific University is retained by Pacific University and requires its permission for publication. Copyright status for other collection materials varies. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Future Additions

No accruals are expected.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box	Folder
1	1	Correspondence	1920-1924
1	2	Correspondence	1925
1	3-5	Correspondence	1926
1	6-9	Correspondence	1927
1	10-11	Correspondence	1928
1	12-13	Correspondence	1929
1	14-15	Correspondence	1930
1	16-17	Correspondence	1931
1	18	Correspondence	1932-1933
1	19-20	Correspondence	1934
1	21-22	Correspondence	1935
2	23-24	Correspondence	1936
2	25-26	Correspondence	1937
2	27	Correspondence	1937-1939
2	28-32	Correspondence, undated	Circa 1920s-1930s
2	33	Diaries Includes brief notes about daily life in the Forest Grove area.	1935-1937
2	34	Notebooks	Circa 1920s-1930s
2	35	Forest Grove High School Papers	Circa 1920s-1930s
2	36	Gaston High School Papers	Circa 1920s-1930s
2	37	Pacific University Papers	Circa 1920s-1930s
2	38-39	Educational Records Includes teaching certificates, distance education assignments and records, a class roster, and other material.	Circa 1920s-1930s
2	40	Personal Papers	Circa 1920s-1930s
2	41	Church Papers	Circa 1920s-1930s
2	42	Archery Papers	Circa 1920s-1930s
2	43	Newspaper Clippings	Circa 1920s-1930s
2	44	Advertising Pamphlets	Circa 1920s-1930s
2	45	Asian Missionary Publications These items were probably supplied to the Smiths via one of the members of the Walker Family. Several of the Walkers, who were associated with Pacific University, were missionaries in Asia. The items in this folder are: 1. Foochow Messenger. Foochow, China: Spring, 1935. -- 2. A Study of Manchuria. Foochow, China: 1933. -- 3. Lombard, Frank Alanson. Liberal Education in Japan: Broadening Tendencies. (Envelope Series, 26:3) Boston: 1923. -- 4. The Spice of the 1933 Letters from the American Board Missions in Fukien, China. Accompanied by a newsletter issued by the Christian Herald Industrial Mission Press, and a circular letter by Nellie Walker.	Circa 1920s-1930s
2	46	Miscellaneous Printed Material	Circa 1920s-1930s
2	47	Miscellaneous Papers	Circa 1920s-1930s
2	48	Photographs	Circa 1920s-1930s
2	49	Notes About Collection	Circa 1976

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Forest Grove, Or.

Corporate Names

Pacific University

Form or Genre Terms

Correspondence
Diaries

Archives West Finding Aid

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