James Weldon Smith III

Weldon was born on September 7, 1933 in Richmond, VA, the son of James Weldon Smith, Jr. and Viola Elliott Smith.

Weldon graduated Yale University (BA; 1955), Duke University Divinity School (M. Div.), and Northwestern University (PhD, Garrett; 1962).

While obtaining his PhD, Weldon served as a Methodist minister in Oregon, IL. He pursued his love for the humanities as professor of Philosophy and Religion at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, IL where he taught from 1962-1980. Weldon was active in the civil rights movement, raised funds for the NAACP, and attended Martin Luther King’s Washington, D.C.’s “I have a Dream” speech.

His appreciation for the arts then led him to a path of teaching and leadership roles in the arts community. He served as a professor at J.F. Kennedy University in Orinda, CA (1980-1981); Director of the Fiberworks Center for the Textile Arts in Berkeley, CA (1981-1987), and Director of the San Francisco (California) Craft and Folk Art Museum from 1987 to his retirement in 2002.

During these roles he took every opportunity to lead, teach and curate, serving as a board member of the California Association of Museums, instructor the Art Institute of Chicago, and as a consultant to the California Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

An avid lover of African art, Weldon loved to explain to all around him the beauty and meaning of art that was new to them. He curated numerous exhibitions of African art across the nation. Upon his retirement, the City and County of San Francisco formally designated March 26, 2002 as “J. Weldon Smith Day.”

In July of 1955, Weldon married the love his life, Nancy Linnaea Lee (Bennington College ’55), to whom he remained married for 63 years. Weldon is survived by his wife Nancy, his children Marshall Taylor Smith (Lake Geneva, WI) and Christian Linnaea Smith (San Mateo, CA), and his sister, Charlotte Smith Edge (Raleigh, NC).

In 1980, Weldon and his family moved to San Francisco, CA where he and Nancy spent countless evenings and weekends redesigning several homes. In 1999, Weldon and Nancy purchased a home in the wine country of Kenwood, California where they spent much of their time. Following a lifelong love and fascination with Mexico and its culture, Weldon and Nancy bought and rebuilt a home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in 2006. They spent half of the year in San Miguel de Allende where they discovered new friends and adventures.

Weldon was a remarkable man with a gentle, kind and patient spirit. He had a gracious word, a receptive smile and an outreached hand for anyone and everyone with whom he came in contact. All those who knew him were touched by the way he found beauty, humor and meaning in the most ordinary things of life. His extraordinary wit, intelligence and respect for others enriched the lives of those who knew him and will never be forgotten. He led a robust and rich life.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.