▪

Tribute to Gifted Journalist Named Smitty

I had just seated myself at
the typewriter to do a piece
on the Jewish Cricket team
which will represent the
United States in the 1973
Maccablah Games when the
flash came over the radio
that my dear friend Wendell
Smith had passed away in a
Chicago hospital. Somehow I
can't get to the cricketeers
this week. I can only see
Wendell's face in front of me
as I hit the keys.
Smitty and I were young
would-be journalists together

in Pittsburgh. Wendell then
was a sports writer on the
nation's largest Negro paper,
The Pittsburgh Courier, and
I was a free-lance magazine
writer. Since we were both
basketball buffs, Smitty hav-
ing played for West Virginia
State College, we had a com-
mon bond. Both of us were
followers of Duquesne's ex-
cellent coach, Chick Davies,

Catholics Largely
Ignore Holocaust,
Theologian Asserts

614.10 Per hrs. Dm*.
NEW YORK (JTA) — A
20 V/ t41 Remit Nue Dec 11
Catholic theologian has as-
CE P Days- 7 Nights Only 614.
serted that the Holocaust has
Per Pers. Soak Includes
DELUXE MEALS
1.1 not been a major stimulus
for a change in Catholic-
Jewish relations and that
American Catholics have not
DIAL FREE 800 - 321-6642
"grappled in any profound or
DAVID PROSNIER•S
extensive fashion with the
implications of this mon-
strosity."
Rev. John T. Pawlikowski
of the Catholic Theological
N HI • POOL
Union
in Chicago added that
700 FT HAAN
the reason stems from a
17,1a•r Laws Strictly OLserved
theological attitude which
COLOR TV IN EACH ROOM
"looks upon the church as a
On the Ocean at 67th Street holy and spotless institution
Miami leach. Eta. 33141
incapable of any major
Write For Brochure - moral defects."'
CONSTANT
He presented those views
SUPIRVISION
SMINGIA01 ON PRIMISIS
in a special background
paper prepared for a "na-
tional reassessment" confer-
• Private fleoch • Air Conditioned
• Free Television in All Rooms
ence called by the Synagogue
• Pool • Floe Salt Pinking • Heat
Council of America to ex-
amine developments in inter-
religious relations since
World War II.
Rabbi Walter Wurzburger
of Far Rockaway, N.Y., con-
ference chairman, cited the
*Kitchenettes
establishment of Israel, the
50 f^“. available. Free
Six-Day War, growing disillu-
Telma IS refrigerators in
sionment
with Western cul-
all rooms.
$13 ka.15
Special Family ture and its dominent secu-
April I
larism and technology and
Plant
7 .1 III Peens
the emergence of various
"mystery
cults" designed to
WRITE, DEAR SHIRLEY I
satisfy "the quest for tran
She will return your postage!
scendence" as "epoch-baking
The
Oceanfront at lath events which have radically
P1L 70S • 3311-21111
transformed the spiritual cli-
mate of the Jewish world."
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and followed his teams
around like a chossid chasing
after his favorite rebbe.
Chick took time out to talk
basketball with us whenever
we showed up and we both
became attached to the Duke
mentor. • I particularly so
since Duquesne teams in
those days were loaded with
Jewish players, several of
All-American calibre.
When Wendell took over as
sports editor of the Courier
I became his New York cor-
respondent, having moved to
the big city a month before
Pearl Harbor, to be closer
to the magazine markets.
An excellent writer, Smitty
destined to become the first
black sports reporter signed
by • while newspaper. Re
joined the staff al the Chic-
ago America. and turned eat
masterful coluumns that were
picked up repeatedly for
syndication by the Interns.
tional News Service.
Before he made the switch
in papers Smitty was con-
sulted by the late Branch
Rickey on which black base-
ball player should be granted
the opportunity to break the
major league color line. Wen-
dell suggested Jackie Robin-
son and both he and Rickey
never regretted the nomina-
tion.
It's ironic that both Robin-
son and Smith passed away
within weeks of each other.

At the time of the Six-Day
War, I, as public relations
director of the National
Basketball Association, was
attending a league meeting
in Chicago. Wendell and his
beautiful wife, Wyonella,
visited with me at my hotel.
As they weer leaving Smitty
forced a check into my hands
and said. "Here, I want to
do my part. I guess since I'm
in sports you better turn this
over to the U.S Committee
Sports for Israel."
A month or so before the
Hapoel Games were to be
held in Israel, a year ago
Accordingly, he said "it last May. I suggested that
would be the height of folly Wendell and Wyonella should
if we were to proceed in the accompany my wife and me
Jewish - Christian encounter to the Games. By this time
on the basis of assumptions Wendell was writing for the
made over 25 years ago and Chicago Times and doing a
which have not been subject daily TV spot on WGN-TV . I
to critical reexamination and can truthfully say we had a
thorough scrutiny during the splendid time together in the
Holy Land and Wendell filed
entire period."
several excellent columns to
his
paper. His piece on a
)'our Pri rale
former bike rider from Mo-
Otsmist V
rocco
who served as his
to
chauffeur several times. was

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Helloed.

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the talk of our party

What impressed the Smiths

more than anything else n as
the total lack of color preju-
dice in Israel. Wendell and
sondella were so light slim
lied they could pass as %hit,
hut never tried. Wyonella, in
particular, n as so smut, ta
nith the people and the treat
sent she runty rd, the; soy
actually hehelled also"t re.

turning home.

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MURRAY

ENGEL Manager

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ON THE OCEAN AT 21st STREET MIAMI BEACH

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THE DETROIT JEWISH HEWS

(Copyright 1072, JTA, lee.)

ills -•'

•

chided.
"These are my peop!e."

W1'11411'11

Wyonella retorted. "and uc
don't budge until we- are
guaranteed permanent
peace."
An objective reporter,
Smitty made his way to
Dimona in the high heat of
early summer to interview
the so-called "Black Jews

Friday, MK. 22, 1972-17

Man's moral nature is s
from Chicago." I didn't tag
I believe in democracy be-
along, the heat was oppres- riddle which only eternity cause it releases the energies
sive and I didn't want to can solve. — Henry David of every human being. —
prejudice Wendell's thinking Thoreau.
Woodrow Wilson.
in the matter. At the time
the Israeli government was
taking a lot of abuse from Jul*, Donisson Travel Agency Printouts
the black leader, one named
Carter, who insisted that his
people were the only true
Jews in the country. Carter
refused to see Smith and
with good cause.
Wendell got to interview
Carter's followers and learn-
ed that they were happy and
satisfied but were constantly
goaded to extremes by Car
ter and his lieutenants. Smit-
DAY CARIBBEAN CRUISES AIR/SEA CRUISES ABOARD
ty wrote an outstanding 11
ABOARD THE
QUEEN ELIZABETH 2
magazine article on the Chic- QUEEN ANNA MARIA
15 days duration
ago blacks and painted Car-
Xmas '72 sailing Dec. 22
Passover sailing April 14, 1572
ter as the culprit at the same Passover '73 sailing A.pril 16
Wears Independence Day
sailing April 21, 1973
time completely exonerating Strict Rabbinical supervision
Rabbinical supervision
the Israeli government from R • bl Samuel WalkM
Vaud Haraboni t . Wang land
any wrong-doing.
Gifted with a fine wit, Peeeover In WRISO •os
SRAEL A LA CARTE
Smitty, while lolling on the at the exquisite
daps 7 illilitts-641111
grass in front of the Accadia EL CONQUISTADOR
4 star hotels %WM full Israeli
breakfast daily. Sightseeing
swimming pool with • group
9. or 10 days beginning
A La Coate (Traveler's Choice).
of eight friends, including April 16, 1973
Round trip airport transfers.
some English buddies, cau- under Woe
supervision
Late Saturday departures
tioned Wyonella, an extreme-
begin Nov. 4 to Feb.17,1973
ly fair-skinned woman, "Why,
you're getting too brown, you

ought to get out of the sun
or else wou're going to have
to go to the rear of the bus
when we get back home."
I shall miss my fine friend.
It seemed like only yester-
day that he drove my wife
and newly-born first daugh-
ter home from the hospital.
Shalom, Wendell, old
friend, it was great knowing
you.

Detroit Club of Miami
Re-Elects Goldstone

Mitchell Goldstone again
was elected president of the
Detroit Club of North Miami
Beach, Fla., and will be in-
stalled at the Seville Hotel
Jan. 20.
Other officers are Joseph
Milgrom and Irving Lyons.
vice presidents; Jack Was-
serman, treasurer; Dr. Ed-
ward Stern, Rose Kling and
Honey Magid, secretaries;
Al Lipman, chaplain and
parliamentarian; and Na-
thaniel Goldstick, assistant
chaplain.
Outgoing officers
Rose
Belinsky, Sol Kling and
Elaine Milgrom become the
executive hoard of trustees.
Others on the board are Phil
Cameron, Louis
Gorman,
Morris Cornfield, Ily Erlich-
man, Morris J. Friedman.

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