Smith, Samuel, 1943-

Samuel Smith was born July 26, 1943 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Smith moved to New York to finish high school, and stayed in the city to become a police officer. He stayed there until 1978, when he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. He took a job as an inspector with the fire department, and remained in that position until he retired in 2003.

Smith was always passionate about education. He organized free reading and math classes to help prepare people for the firefighter exam. In 1991, he opened a bookstore called Native Son. Native Son housed books on black history and culture, and served as a meeting place for people within the community. Native Son closed its doors in 2008, but Smith remained an advocate for reading and education.

Smith became a teacher and mentor to the community through his Academy classes, which aimed to help neighborhood boys gain proficiency in reading and writing. He continued to focus on the Westside community through education outreach.