Edith Renfrow Smith, pioneer and witness to history, dies at 111

"At the time of Edith Renfrow's birth, Poweshiek County, Iowa, had 20,000 residents. Just 55 of them were Black. Her grandfather, George Craig, had made his way there after escaping enslavement with the aid of John Brown, and was working as a barber in the town of Grinnell. Her own parents, Lee and Eva Renfrow, worked as a cook and a laundress."

"Renfrow Smith would attend Grinnell College, the small liberal arts school just blocks from her home. She was at that point the school's only Black student and with her graduation in 1937 became the first Black woman graduate in the college's history. It was during her time on campus that Renfrow Smith met Amelia Earhart. "She was one of the celebrities that came to Grinnell to talk to the students," Smith recalled. "She was just like another one of us. It was a delightful visit.""

Edith Renfrow Smith died in Chicago at age 111 and was among a small number of supercentenarians. She was born in Poweshiek County, Iowa, where only 55 of 20,000 residents were Black. Her grandfather George Craig escaped enslavement with John Brown's aid and worked as a barber in Grinnell. Her parents, Lee and Eva Renfrow, worked as a cook and a laundress. The family prioritized education and ensured all six children attended college. She attended Grinnell College as its only Black student and in 1937 became the school's first Black woman graduate. She met Amelia Earhart on campus and later entered the workforce during the Great Depression when Black unemployment far surpassed white unemployment.

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