Leroy Othello and Leopoldine Doualla Emma-Bell Smith Papers

Collection

Identifier: ARL220

Staff Only

Content Description

Contains materials related to Leroy Othello Smith's career as a Foreign Service diplomat for the U.S. Department of State and Leopoldine D. Smith. Includes passports, awards, high school and college material, newsletters, reports, and programs.

Dates

1949-2015

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Copyright

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from material in the collection should be discussed with the appropriate librarian or archivist. Permission for publication may be given on behalf of the Denver Public Library as the owner of the physical item. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained by the customer. The Library does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or publication rights of the manuscript held by the writer, heirs, donors, or executors. Reproduction restrictions are decided on a case-by-case basis.

Extent

2 Boxes

1 oversize folder

1 oversize folios

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, donor unknown, date unknown.

Bibliography

Leroy Othello Smith was born August 5, 1938 in Denver, Colorado to parents Leroy Smith and Lulu Green. His father Leroy Smith was a Five Points businessman, entertainment promoter and radio personality (ARL69). He graduated from East High School in 1956 and the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor of Arts in 1963. He later received two advanced degrees from Columbia University, a Master of Arts in 1968 and a Masters of Education in 1974. He worked at the U.S. Department of State until his retirement in 2004 as a Foreign Service Diplomat serving in several places including Africa and the Philippines. He married Leopoline Doualla Emma-Bell Smith in 1975. She is the world’s first black flight attendant. She was born in 1939 in Cameroon. She was a princess of the royal Douala family. Her career in the airline industry started in Douala and later had her working for Union de Transports Aeriens (UTA), Air Afrique and Air Zaire. Upon retirement, they moved to back to Denver and volunteered at Denver International Airport and established the Business and Intercultural Services for Educational Travel and Associated Learning (BISETAL).