May 3, 2005 -- Arkansas State University will award the honorary doctor of humane letters degree to Dr. C. Calvin Smith of Jonesboro in recognition of his outstanding achievements and exemplary contributions to education and the preservation of history.

The presentation will be made Friday, May 6, during the spring commencement ceremony, which begins at 7 p.m. in the Convocation Center. The public is welcome to attend.

Dr. Les Wyatt, president of ASU, will present the honorary doctorate along with the graduate and undergraduate degrees.

Dr. Smith has served since January 2003 as the first Presidential Distinguished Professor in Heritage Studies at ASU.

He also is emeritus professor of history at ASU, having retired with 32 years service from the Department of History in 2002. Smith was the first African-American instructor at ASU when he joined the faculty in 1970.

The Marianna native is the author of two books, "War and Wartime Changes: The Transformation of Arkansas, 1940-1945," and "Educating the Masses: The Unfolding History of Black School Administrators in Arkansas, 1900-2000." Both books were published by the University of Arkansas Press, in 1986 and 2003 respectively.

Smith earned his bachelor’s degree at what is now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He completed his master’s at ASU and his doctorate at the University of Arkansas. He is a member of the Strong-Turner chapter of the ASU Alumni Association.

Dr. Smith was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Arkansas State University in 2004. He and his wife Earline live in Jonesboro, and are the parents of a son, C.C. Smith, who has continued the family’s teaching tradition.

Smith is the 12th person to receive an honorary doctorate from Arkansas State University. The first was U.S. Senator Hattie Caraway in 1934.

Nominations for the recognition are reviewed and recommended by the university's Honorary Doctorate Committee, the vice chancellor for academic affairs, and the president, then approved by the Board of Trustees.