Walker Breeze Smith (November 1, 1896 – February 27, 1993) was an American track and field athlete. Smith attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

, where he set records in hurdling. He was the

IC4A IC4A Championships (Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America) is an annual men's competition held at different colleges every year. Association was established in 1875, the competition (started in 1876) served as the top level col ...

Champion in 1919 in 120 yard high hurdles and 220 yard low hurdles. The year before he placed second in both events. Smith competed in the men's 110 metres hurdles at the 1920 Summer Olympics. He finished in 5th place. In 1978, Smith was inducted into the Cornell University Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Smith is named after his maternal grandfather, lumber and art magnate

T. B. Walker Thomas Barlow Walker (February 1, 1840 – July 28, 1928) was an American business magnate who acquired lumber in Minnesota and California and became an collection (artwork), art collector. Walker founded the Minneapolis Public Library. He was amon ...

. When Smith was 10 years old, he had his right eye removed, and wore an artificial eye. He was not allowed to play football because of the missing eye, so he took up track & field. As a child, he attended Phillips Exeter Academy. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1916, Smith went to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

to serve in the

American Field Service AFS Intercultural Programs (or AFS, originally the American Field Service) is an international youth exchange organization. It consists of over 50 independent, not-for-profit organizations, each with its own network of volunteers, professional ...

. Due to his missing eye, he was designated with a

4-F classification 4F or 4-F may refer to: * 4F (company), a Polish sportswear company * 4-F classification in the U.S. Selective Service System, identifying a person as unfit for military service * 4F correlator, in Fourier optics * The 4f electron shell * Section 4 ...

and unable to serve in the US army, so he returned to the United States in 1917. Smith married Marge Billheimer in 1922. Together they have two children, a son and a daughter. They have eight grandchildren as well as eight great-grandchildren. After retiring from athletics and worked in various jobs, including real estate and investment companies.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Walker 1896 births 1993 deaths American male hurdlers Olympic track and field athletes of the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1920 Summer Olympics