Roosevelt Smith has long collected and shared the history of the Black experience, in America and specifically in Kitsap County. Now, his name will be remembered as a pioneer like those before him.
Smith, a historian who chronicled the pioneers of Kitsap's Black community and aired the country's history of racism through an extensive collection of memorabilia he regularly displayed in Bremerton, died June 25 at age 72, at his home.
An Air Force veteran who moved to Kitsap County from Memphis in the late 1970s, Smith was known widely as a historian and activist, having helped found the Bremerton chapter of the National Association of Black Veterans, leading the Black Historical Society of Kitsap County, hosting a display of his Black Americana memorabilia at the Kitsap History Museum, where he was a board member, and writing a regular column during Black History Month for the Kitsap Sun in recent years.
He was perhaps as well known in the local antiques and art community, where he worked as an appraiser each year for the Kitsap Antiques Show, ran a side business in watch repair and appraisal, and was a familiar face at Kitsap's vintage shops, always looking for a diamond in the rough. He worked as a counselor for Kitsap Mental Health Services, facilitated cultural sensitivity trainings and was a member of Bremerton's Arts Commission. And importantly, said his wife Deadra Smith, he was an involved father to the couple's four children, as well as two from his previous marriage, numerous grandchildren and many others in the community who simply needed help. Roosevelt was never one to refuse when asked, she said Tuesday.
"He was a giving person, just really giving," Deadra Smith said, referring to his generosity with family, such as finding and restoring a Rolex watch to give to each child, or recruiting a Santa Claus to come to Bremerton and meet kids around Christmas, or organizing food drives through St. Vincent DePaul in West Bremerton. "We've got so many kids out there who we call our grandchildren. He's 'uncle-grandpa'."
Smith's interest in history and memorabilia dated back to his upbringing in the South, including years in Memphis during the Civil Rights Era when he witnessed the legacy of Jim Crow or other racism. His collection of items related to the African American experience, a portion of which was on display most recently at the Kitsap Historical Society's "The State of America in Black and White" display, preserved examples that celebrated Black history and leaders, but also the forms of racism that were prevalent in American culture for years, from Aunt Jemima or Uncle Ben caricatures used in advertising to children's toys or figurines that exaggerated derogatory stereotypes.
"He wanted to make sure people didn't forget the reason this stuff existed," said Jeanine Greco, a historian and friend of Smith's for 25 years who curated the recent display, which ran from 2020 through 2023, and then again briefly this April. Greco admitted that some of the pieces, in the context of the display, were difficult to learn about, and could upset visitors. But she added that Smith's nature was to use those uncomfortable moments or awkward conversations to teach, and encourage a visitor to understand the significance without feelings of guilt or shame or confrontation.
"He was really good about meeting people where they were at in their journey," Greco said.
Deborah Hughes was one of the friends that considered herself a student of Smith. The two met as ferry commuters in the early 1980s, and Hughes, owner of Two Sisters Jewelry in Bremerton's Manette neighborhood, said Smith's knowledge helped her understand the origins of a cultural icon like Betty Boop, for instance, and led to a decades-long friendship and business relationship. Smith's expertise in appraisal and repair work made him a fixture in Hughes' store, known for his distinguishing taste in jewelry and more.
"We called him the 'sharp-dressed man,' like the ZZ Top song," Hughes said. "And if you asked him (where he shopped), he'd say 'thrift store.'"
One of his friends who shared a passion for collectibles, in this case automobiles (Smith and Deadra have matching red Maserati convertibles, among others) was Marty Crutcher, one of Bremerton's first Black elected officials. It was Crutcher, now in his 90s, who took Smith under his wing when Roosevelt arrived in Kitsap and harnessed the newcomer's passion.
"His top concern was justice for the Black community," Crutcher said.
The two teamed up to start that initial NABVETS chapter in the 1980s, when many Black veterans were struggling to understand how to sign up for benefits or file a disability claim. Crutcher introduced Smith to leaders like Alyce Eagans in the NAACP, educated him on issues like employment or education, and shared the stories of places like the Sinclair Heights housing project, the former heart of the Black community in West Hills. The two still spoke weekly, Crutcher said.
"Everything that had been accomplished was slowly disappearing," Crutcher said, referring to history like the demolition of Sinclair Heights or the impact made by late African American pioneers like James and Lillian Walker, Loxie Eagans or Al Colvin. "They didn't know the history of Bremerton. If you live here, you should know it. That's what he wanted to dig into."
Smith's columns for the Kitsap Sun, published over several years each February, highlighted many of the names now in city lore. His essays highlighted the easily recognizable personalities, like Quincy Jones or Lillian Walker, to the less heralded, like Rainie Woods, the city's first Black police officer, or Jimmie Simmons, the first Black sheriff's deputy, and could range from sports stars to the married couples that made an impact during the World War II era in Bremerton and beyond, or at times personal experiences from the South, like the famous Memphis sanitation strike that inspired the quote "I am a Man" that Smith would wear proudly on a shirt.
Roosevelt Smith's history columns:The couples that worked together for equal rights in Bremerton
But for all his focus on history, friends and family say Smith's presence in the here and now will be remembered.
Mary Phelps met Smith through the Kitsap History Museum when she worked there. She witnessed the demands on his time, particularly during Black History Month when Smith would be bombarded by requests to speak, yet always offer his cell phone number when meeting someone new. She said he'd patiently coach her, a white woman, when an item in the collection led to questions or criticism. And in April, when Phelps and Smith were hurriedly setting up State of the Union for a brief showing to several student groups, he abruptly left one afternoon when the crunch was on to set up. A friend didn't have a ride to a medical appointment, so Smith was going to take care of that.
"As much as he was an educator and willing to share his experience... he was always so keenly interested in you, and learning from your experience," Phelps said. "For a person to hold that much empathy... it makes him so unique."
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