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JAMES LEO SMITH (1938 - 1998) One summer evening, James L. ran through my front yard in Cooper Homes. I never found out who or what he was running from. Rather than knock me down, he picked me up and carried me with him. By the time he stopped, we were at the Carver Center. We dated for one year. When he would come to visit me, he never wanted to leave in time to catch the last bus to Hobson City, which left at 11:00 p.m., since my curfew was midnight. He would call his Uncle T Boyd or Aunt Ruby and one of them would come to pick him up. Other times he would catch a ride home with some of his friends or stay with his Aunt Ruby's sister, Christine, when he could not get back home. I thought that he was so cute. His response to that with his ever so sharp tongue was that monkeys are cute. He was a very good dancer, had a sweet way of calling me "Doll", and had a beautiful smile which all of our children inherited from him. I really noticed for the first time a few days after his death how much Jimi's smile resembled his dad's. James L. enlisted in the Air Force after our first year of courtship and we became engaged during the second because I had to finish school. For Christmas that year he gave me an engagement ring. We were married on June 5, 1957. Our oldest and only living son, Jimi was born in Riverside, California on June 4, 1958 (our first anniversary present) while James L. was stationed at March Air Force Base. After he was discharged from the Air Force we returned home. I was eight months pregnant with our oldest daughter, Gena. He drove straight through from Riverside to Anniston stopping only to buy Jimi a coat in El Paso, Texas. He was 18 months old and had never had the need for one in California, but we realized that it would be cold in Alabama since it was November. I didn't want to leave California at that time but being pregnant and having one child already, James L. told me that he was taking me home to his Mama and Daddy. Gena was due on Christmas Day, but she arrived two weeks early on December 4, 1959. James L. promised me that we would go back to California. He said that the only thing that would keep him in Anniston would be a government job at Bynum, which he got after receiving his welder's certificate from Ayers Trade School (now known as Ayers Technical College). He was one of the first black students in welding at Ayers, too. They did not want the black men to become certified welders because the pay was good. The white instructor tried to discourage him and the other black students from taking the course by telling them that welding would make them sterile. His reply to the instructor was that he had five children and he did not care if it did make him sterile. By this time our other four daughters and another son had been born. Anitra was born the day before her Aunt Dot's birthday, June 27, 1960. James L. had just started to work at Union Foundry (his first day on the job) so Bill and Dot took me to the hospital and we barely made it. Anitra came so fast after being overdue and labor was induced by Dr. Caffey. Dot told me to name her Dorothy Yvette after her so that she would be mean (Sorry Dot. Mary named her and Felecia.). Felecia, Derrick Leo (our son that was stillborn the day after my birthday - July 12th), and Nichelle, our youngest child, were all born after he started to work at the Depot. James L. always put his family first. He was a hard worker and always provided well for us. He sacrificed things he wanted so he could do more for his family. Whenever any one of the children would ask him for anything, he would always say no the first time and raise sand. Then he would always turn right around and give them whatever they had asked for. His excuse for giving it to them was that I wanted him to do it. |