Warren Allen Smith facts for kids
Warren Allen Smith (October 27, 1921 – January 9, 2017) was an American writer and a person who believed in humanism. He also worked hard for equal rights for all people. He was a soldier in World War II and openly stated he did not believe in a god. He even called himself "the atheist in a foxhole."
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About Warren Allen Smith
Warren Allen Smith joined the U.S. Army in 1942. He served until 1946. He was part of the important Normandy landing in 1944. This included landing on "Omaha" beach. When he joined the army, he made sure his dog tag said 'None' for his religion. Usually, dog tags would say P for Protestant, C for Catholic, or H for Hebrew (Jewish).
In 1961, Smith started a company called Variety Recording Studio. It was a big independent studio near Broadway in New York City. He started it with his close friend and business partner, Fernando Rodolfo de Jesus Vargas Zamora. Smith managed the company for nearly 30 years, from 1961 to 1990.
In 1969, Smith took part in the Stonewall riots. These were important protests for equal rights.
Smith was one of the people who signed two important documents about humanism. These were the Humanist Manifesto II in 1973 and the Humanist Manifesto III in 2003. Humanism is a way of thinking that focuses on human values and reason.
In 2015, Smith took over a website called Philosopedia. This website was created to help people learn about different ways of thinking. It also listed many famous people who did not believe in a god.
Warren Allen Smith passed away on January 9, 2017. He was 95 years old.
Awards and Recognition
In 1985, Warren Allen Smith received the Leavey Award. This award came from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. He was one of 15 people to get this award that year. He received $7,500 from architect Charles Luckman. Smith earned the award for creating a plan to teach about Adam Smith clubs and classes in high schools.
Books by Warren Allen Smith
Warren Allen Smith wrote several books. Here are some of them:
- Who's Who in Hell: A Handbook and International Directory for Humanists, Freethinkers, Naturalists, Rationalists, and Non-Theists (2000). This book was about people who believe in humanism and think freely. It even got a review on the front page of The New York Observer. CNN also interviewed him about it. When all the printed books were sold, Smith put the entire book online. It became the first part of the Philosopedia website.
- Gossip from Across the Pond: Articles Published in the United Kingdom's Gay and Lesbian Humanist, 1996-2005 (2005). This book collected articles he wrote for a magazine in the United Kingdom. The magazine was about humanism and equal rights.
- Cruising the Deuce (2005). This book looked closely at life on New York City's 42nd Street from the 1940s to the 1980s. The famous filmmaker John Waters even asked to use the book as a prop in one of his movies.
- Celebrities in Hell (2010). This book listed famous people who did not believe in religious revelations. Some of the people included were Woody Allen, Marlon Brando, Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn, Christopher Reeve, and Frank Zappa.
- In the Heart of Showbiz, A Biographical Triography of Variety Recording Studio, Fernando Vargas, and Warren Allen Smith (2011). This book was about his own life story. It also told the story of his recording studio and his friend Fernando Vargas.
Newspaper and Magazine Articles
Warren Allen Smith also wrote articles for different publications:
- From 1994 to 1998, he wrote a column called "Humanist Potpourri" for Free Inquiry magazine. One article was "Paul Cadmus: Artist-Humanist" in August 1996.
- In the 1970s, he wrote a column called "Manhattan Scene." This column appeared in St. Thomas' Daily News and 20 other newspapers in the West Indies.
See also
- There are no atheists in foxholes
