DLD
11-17-2023, 03:08 PM
In 1966 our family moved to Oklahoma City and we lived near James Monroe Elementary. Along with my brothers and friends we enjoyed playing at what we knew as Smitty's Park. I guess the real name is Smitty Park. We would swim in the pool, play games in the small recreation building, play on the ball field down the hill, and explore the creek and woods.
A couple of years ago, I came across an old Daily Oklahoman article about a funeral for the man this park is named after. The article was dated March 7, 1964, and described a funeral service the day before. This led me to some other information I found online.
Smitty was killed in a car crash near Crescent, Oklahoma, on March 4, 1964, along with two others. He was 40 years old, and was survived by his wife and three daughters. His name was Bronnell Carol Smith, and he was born in Arkansas in 1923. By 1930, he and his family were living in Oklahoma CIty. He was a Cub Scout leader and Little League coach in programs organized at James Monroe Elementary. The boys all knew him as Smitty. The article in the Oklahoman notes that so many attended his funeral service at Garrison Funeral Home that many had to stand outside. He is buried at Rose Hill Burial Park.
The following information is from the OKC Parks and Recreation web page for Smitty Park:
As a youngster, Bronnell Smith found stability and support in sports and recreation programs, so he worked hard to provide
those same opportunities to boys and girls in this neighborhood as well. Smith organized and coached ball teams at nearby
Monroe Elementary School and served as a pack leader for the local Cub Scout troop. To the kids and parents in the
neighborhood, the beloved Smith was simply known as Smitty.
The land for this park was originally part of the Land Run homestead of Civil War veteran Abram George Mudgett, who became
a doctor despite partially losing his sight in the war. The city later acquired the land for the park in 1962 when the Deep Fork
River was channeled for flood control. Children and parents of the neighborhood petitioned the city to name it Smitty Park in
honor of Bronnell Smith in 1964.
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If you should visit Smitty Park, consider the impact one person had on so many people. I wish the park had a plaque explaining the life of the man it is named for; if there is one there I have not seen it when I visit. When my brothers and I were kids in the 1960's, there was an active Little League program. We were the Monroe Redbirds. In the summer there was a baseball rodeo, with ball games all day on the 3 or 4 fields at Monroe. Even though we arrived in Oklahoma City two years after Smitty died, I bet we were enjoying the fruits of his efforts when we played on those ball fields.
A couple of years ago, I came across an old Daily Oklahoman article about a funeral for the man this park is named after. The article was dated March 7, 1964, and described a funeral service the day before. This led me to some other information I found online.
Smitty was killed in a car crash near Crescent, Oklahoma, on March 4, 1964, along with two others. He was 40 years old, and was survived by his wife and three daughters. His name was Bronnell Carol Smith, and he was born in Arkansas in 1923. By 1930, he and his family were living in Oklahoma CIty. He was a Cub Scout leader and Little League coach in programs organized at James Monroe Elementary. The boys all knew him as Smitty. The article in the Oklahoman notes that so many attended his funeral service at Garrison Funeral Home that many had to stand outside. He is buried at Rose Hill Burial Park.
The following information is from the OKC Parks and Recreation web page for Smitty Park:
As a youngster, Bronnell Smith found stability and support in sports and recreation programs, so he worked hard to provide
those same opportunities to boys and girls in this neighborhood as well. Smith organized and coached ball teams at nearby
Monroe Elementary School and served as a pack leader for the local Cub Scout troop. To the kids and parents in the
neighborhood, the beloved Smith was simply known as Smitty.
The land for this park was originally part of the Land Run homestead of Civil War veteran Abram George Mudgett, who became
a doctor despite partially losing his sight in the war. The city later acquired the land for the park in 1962 when the Deep Fork
River was channeled for flood control. Children and parents of the neighborhood petitioned the city to name it Smitty Park in
honor of Bronnell Smith in 1964.
--------------------
If you should visit Smitty Park, consider the impact one person had on so many people. I wish the park had a plaque explaining the life of the man it is named for; if there is one there I have not seen it when I visit. When my brothers and I were kids in the 1960's, there was an active Little League program. We were the Monroe Redbirds. In the summer there was a baseball rodeo, with ball games all day on the 3 or 4 fields at Monroe. Even though we arrived in Oklahoma City two years after Smitty died, I bet we were enjoying the fruits of his efforts when we played on those ball fields.