Edith Renfrow Smith

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
(age 110 years, 102 days)
Grinnell, Iowa, U.S.
Spouse
Henry T. Smith
​
(m. 1940)​
Children2

Edith Renfrow Smith (born July 14, 1914) is an American woman and supercentenarian who was the first African American woman to graduate from Grinnell College, in Grinnell, Iowa.[1] She is a granddaughter of slaves.[2] At age 108, she was designated a "superager" in a study by Northwestern University for her remarkable memory and longevity. In 2019, at the age of 105, she was given an honorary degree from Grinnell College.[3] In 2022, Grinnell College announced it would name a new residence hall in her honor.[4] Renfrow Hall is scheduled to open in the fall of 2024. As of April 2023, Edith is still living in Chicago.

  1. ^ "Descendant of Slave Girl and French Master Gets Degree".
  2. ^ THE RENFROW STORY - Class 1 of 2 by MONIQUE SHORE 2023-04-12, retrieved 2023-04-20
  3. ^ "Edith Renfrow Smith '37, Doctor of Humane Letters | Grinnell College". grinnell.edu. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  4. ^ "New Residence Hall Naming Honors Edith Renfrow Smith | Grinnell Magazine". magazine.grinnell.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-20.