Edith Renfrow Smith facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Edith Renfrow Smith
Renfrow Smith in her cap and gown the day she graduated from Grinnell College in 1937
Born	Edith Renfrow (1914-07-14)July 14, 1914 Grinnell, Iowa, U.S.
Died	(2026-01-02)January 2, 2026 (aged 111) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Henry Thomas Smith ​ ​ (m. 1940; died 2013)​
Children	2

Edith Renfrow Smith (July 14, 1914 – January 2, 2026) was an American woman who lived a very long life, over 100 years. She was the first African American woman to graduate from Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. Her grandparents had been born into slavery.

At 108 years old, she was called a "superager" in a study by Northwestern University. This meant she had a remarkable memory and lived a very long time. In 2019, when she was 105, Grinnell College gave her a special honorary degree. In 2022, the college announced a new student residence hall would be named Renfrow Hall in her honor. Renfrow Hall opened in the fall of 2024.

A Life of Firsts: Edith Renfrow Smith

Her Early Life and Family Roots

Edith Renfrow was born on July 14, 1914. She was the fifth of six children of Eva Craig and Lee Augustus Renfrow. The Renfrows were one of the few African American families in Grinnell. This was a small town in central Iowa.

Both of Edith's parents had grandparents who were born into slavery. Lee's father, Perry Renfrow, was born into slavery in North Carolina. His mother, Elia Anderson, was born in The Gambia. She was brought to the Americas as a slave.

A Family's Journey from Slavery

The story of Edith's maternal grandmother, Eliza Jane, was shared in a 1937 article. It appeared in The Crisis, a publication by the NAACP. The article was called "Up from Slavery."

It told how Eliza Jane, born into slavery, had children who were given opportunities for education. When their father became ill, arrangements were made for the children to go north for schooling. Sadly, after their father passed away, Eliza Jane's freedom papers were unfairly taken away. She was forced back into slavery by others who did not agree with her freedom.

The article explained how their youngest child, Edith's grandmother Eliza Jane, was raised by Quakers in Ohio and later Iowa. There, she met and married George Craig. Their daughter, Eva Pearl Craig, would marry Lee Augustus Renfrow. They raised their six Renfrow children in Grinnell.

Edith's Talented Siblings

Education was very important in the Renfrow family. All the children went to college and had successful careers.

• Her oldest sister, Helen Renfrow Lemme (1904–1968), became a well-known teacher. She was also a champion for equal rights in Iowa City, Iowa. The Helen Lemme Elementary School in Iowa City is named after her. She is also in the Grinnell High School Alumni Hall of Fame.
• Alice Renfrow (1906–1997) attended Hampton University. She then worked at the Library of Congress.
• Rudolph Renfrow (1907–1972) was the top student in his class at Hampton. He was part of the New Negro Alliance in Washington, D.C. in the 1930s. This was a group that worked for civil rights.
• Evanel Renfrow (1908–1994) earned two degrees in nutrition from the University of Iowa. She became a professor at Savannah State University.
• The youngest, Paul Renfrow (1916–1974), served in the US Army during World War II. He was part of the D-Day invasion. He became a Master Sergeant. After the war, he went to optician school and worked in Washington, D.C.

Education and College Years

Edith, like most of her siblings, finished her public school education in Grinnell. She was the only one to stay in town and attend Grinnell College. She graduated in 1937. She studied psychology and had a minor in economics. She made history as the first African American woman to graduate from Grinnell College.

She was a student during the Great Depression. To save money, she worked many jobs on campus. She also lived and ate her meals at home. Even with this, she was an active part of the college community. In a 2007 magazine article, she said, "That was a wonderful experience. I was just part of the group, and I enjoyed all the group activities that we had at Grinnell." She went to dances and dinners with other female students. She also played sports like basketball and field hockey.

A Career in Education and Service

After college, Edith moved to Chicago to find work. She worked at the YWCA and later at the University of Chicago. She earned her teaching license. She then taught in the Chicago school system for 21 years. She was recognized in the Black Educator Hall of Fame.

After retiring in 1976, she began volunteering regularly. She helped at Goodwill and the Art Institute of Chicago. She continued this volunteer work into her nineties.

Honored for a Long and Remarkable Life

In 2009, at 94 years old, Edith was inducted into the Chicago Senior Citizen Hall of Fame. She also received the 2009 Luminary Award for her many years of community involvement.

Because of her amazing energy and memory, she was chosen for a "superager" study at Northwestern University when she was 99. To be a "superager," a person must be 80 or older. Their memory must be as good as or even better than healthy people in their 50s and 60s. To qualify, a person must pass tough memory tests. Less than 10 percent of people who think they are SuperAgers actually qualify.

In 2018, Edith appeared on the Today Show as part of a series on superagers. In 2021, she was featured in a PBS program called "Build a Better Memory through Science."

In 2019, at 104, Edith received an honorary degree from Grinnell College. Earlier that year, the Edith Renfrow Smith Black Women's Library opened at the Grinnell College Black Cultural Center. In 2006, the school had honored her by naming the Smith Gallery in the Joe Rosenfield Campus Center.

The Chicago Sun-Times wrote about Edith when she turned 107 in July 2021. They wrote another story when she turned 108. In 2022, Grinnell College announced that a new student residence hall would be named Renfrow Hall in her honor.

Smith was featured in an NBC News article in February 2023. It was titled, "She was an education pioneer. At 108, Edith Renfrow Smith shares her life lessons." She was also interviewed on NPR Weekend Edition in February 2023. The interview was called "Meet the woman who has witnessed over 100 years of Black history in Chicago."

In April 2023, the Grinnell Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution honored Edith Renfrow Smith. She received the DAR's Women in American History award. This award recognizes women who have made a big difference in their communities.

For her 109th birthday on July 14, 2023, she was featured in both the Chicago Sun-Times and on WGN Channel 9. In January 2024, an illustrated book about her life was published. It was called "No One is Better than You: Edith Renfrow Smith and the Power of a Mother's Words."

On March 26, 2024, she was interviewed online for "The Conversation with Al McFarlane." She was also the cover story for the April 8, 2024, print edition of Insight News. This edition included three articles about her life.

For her 110th birthday, she was featured in an article in the Chicago Sun Times. This made her one of the rare supercentenarians. On September 21, 2024, at 110 years old, she was inducted into the Iowa African American Hall of Fame. On September 28, 2024, she was present with her family as Renfrow Hall was named in her honor at Grinnell College.

In celebration of her 111th birthday, she was interviewed again by the Chicago Sun-Times. She was also featured by the University of Chicago Medicine. She was the oldest participant in their SuperAging Research Initiative.

Her Family and Legacy

While in Chicago, Edith met Henry T. Smith (1915–2013). They married on May 25, 1940, in the Renfrow home in Grinnell. They had two daughters, Virginia (who passed away in 1998) and Alice.

Edith Renfrow Smith passed away on January 2, 2026. She was 111 years and 172 days old. Her husband, Henry, had passed away in 2013. They had been married for 73 years.

More About the Renfrow Family

The stories of the Renfrow family members are explored in the book "Grinnell Stories: African Americans of Early Grinnell" by Dan Kaiser. This book was published in 2020 by the Grinnell Historical Museum.