National Association of the Deaf

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) was saddened to learn of the death of a determined leader and advocate, Jess M. Smith, Jr. on May 5, 2005. Smith served one of the longest, if not the longest, tenure of service on the NAD Board. He was a member of the NAD Board of Directors from 1955 to 1978 and was NAD president from 1974-1976.

Jess Smith was a man of high-energy with a deep commitment to the deaf and hard of hearing community in the United States. As a member of the Fulton Tontine that developed the first reorganization of the NAD in 1957, he helped lay the groundwork for the NAD federation structure, with cooperating State Associations. Smith continued his tireless efforts to expand and improve the NAD at the "Fulton Revisited" conference in 1989.

He held leadership positions in the Tennessee and Indiana Associations of the NAD as well as the National Association of the Deaf. During his NAD Board years, Smith created a more centralized NAD operation and helped the NAD Board become more involved in its responsibilities through the use of communication technology at the time. He left an indelible mark that continues to affect the NAD and in turn, the entire deaf and hard of hearing community.

Born on September 5, 1919. Jess M. Smith became deaf at the age of 7 from scarlet fever and diphtheria. He graduated from the Tennessee School for the Deaf in 1935 and from McNairy County Central High School in 1937. Smith earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from the University of Tennessee and he taught at the Tennessee, Michigan and the Indiana Schools for the Deaf, where he also served as a coach in several sports.

Most notably, Smith was a superb editor, serving in that capacity for the NAD publication, Silent Worker, which was re-named the Deaf American. Among other publications where he served as editor are: University of Tennessee newspaper; The American Annals of the Deaf, The Illuminator and the Relay Indiana newsletters.

“It is only when you walk in someone else’s shoes that you realize the enormous responsibilities that a NAD president faces, “said Andrew J. Lange, NAD president. “Following in the footsteps of one of the great leaders is truly a humbling experience. On behalf of the National Association of the Deaf, I want to express our deepest condolences to Jess Smith’s family and dear friends,” Lange added.

Smith managed to hold down a full-time career and at the same time become involved in various organizations such as Teletypewriters for the Deaf, Indianapolis Community Service Agency for the Deaf; and the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf, to name a few. Jess even found time to join the International Typographical Union and work as a copy editor at Knoxville Journal and as a proofreader and printer at the Indianapolis Star.

NAD President Emeritus Robert G. Sanderson said, “Jess was a great friend and colleague during my time on the NAD board and afterwards. We often had dialogue on articles for The Deaf American magazine, and he was the ultimate professional in trying to make the publication a quality magazine.”