March is National Women’s History Month

RNfNMarch20151Every year, the National Women’s History Project (www.nwhp.org) selects a unifying theme to be shared with all who want to promote women’s history. This year’s theme presents the opportunity to weave women’s stories– individually and collectively–into the essential fabric of our nation’s history. Accounts of the lives of individual women are important because they reveal exceptionally strong role models who share a more expansive vision of what a woman can do.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of National Assistance League. Assistance League has a history of many extraordinary members: Anne Banning, Ada Edwards Laughlin, Ruth Ann Montgomery and so many more. Another of our special women and a founding member of the Atlanta chapter was Lucy Smith, a shining example of how our members use their personal and professional life skills to serve their community through Assistance League.

Lucy Lindsey Smith was born in 1923 in Charlotte, NC, and died in 2014 in Atlanta, GA. She attended Atlanta Girls High and Wesleyan College. She was married to George William Smith, Jr. for 67 years. During World War II, she attended the U.S. Army Medical Technician School and served as a medial lab technician at Fort McPherson. After the birth of her two children, Doug and Lindsey, she attended Oglethorpe University where she graduated in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in science. She would become the first woman to teach seventh- and ninth-grade science on television and designed experimental procedures for the classroom. She became a member of the National Association of Educational Broadcasters and American Women in Radio and Television. A life member of the National Science Teachers Association, Lucy served on its national board and was President of the Georgia Science Teachers Association. She received her master’s degree in education from Emory University, where she also served as a guest lecturer. She worked with Georgia Tech Southeastern Consortium for Minorities in Engineering. She was the only woman on the Georgia Science and Technology Commission and later the Science Advisory Council for Governor Jimmy Carter. As a result of her work, she was invited on a U.S. Air Force Stratotanker refueling mission. She also entered the Cheyenne Mountain NORAD complex, went down in a nuclear submarine and sat with astronauts for the launch of the first NASA space shuttle.

Devoted to a lifetime of education and service to others, after retirement Lucy became a founding member of Assistance League of Atlanta in 1982. She told many stories about the early days of Assistance League of Atlanta and she knew the names of the members involved in each of the programs. She was remembered by chapter members in a recent newsletter article. Judy Mason said, “One thing I will really miss is her wealth of knowledge–about Atlanta history as well as Assistance League history. Who will we ask now?” Marie Drake said, “Lucy was an intelligent, caring and loyal friend to so many of us at Assistance League and dedicated to the mission and success of our chapter. Her sense of humor and her genuine concern in helping others endeared her to everyone she met.” Elaine McClean said, “We mourn the loss of our wonderful Lucy. She saw the most changes in our organization in the 32 years she was active, but always embraced the change as long as it improved our services to the community. She never stopped giving to family, friends and especially to those in need.” Barbara Henry of Oglethorpe University said, “What a role model for women. She never slowed down; she never stopped.” In 2011, Lucy was honored with the Spirit of Oglethorpe Award 62 years after she graduated. This award is presented to a graduate who lives by the Oglethorpe motto: “Make a life. Make a living. Make a difference.”

Many other Assistance League chapters see the value in recording their members’ stories. Pomona Valley had a member appreciation luncheon last year with a roundtable discussion and memory sharing about their past called “The Way We Were” presented by their cherished and most seasoned members. Santa Monica asks long-time members to share their recollections of why they joined Assistance League at regular meetings. Their archive is being organized so members can easily read the history of their chapter and learn from the women who came before them.

The stories of women’s lives, and the choices they made, encourage girls and young women to think larger and bolder, and give boys and men a fuller understanding of the female experience. Remembering and telling tales of our ancestors’ talents, sacrifices and commitments inspires today’s generations and opens the way to the future. Happy 80th Anniversary, National Assistance League!