PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – Opal Johnson Smith, devoted Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) alumni leader, passed away on Saturday, December 26, 2020. A 1954 graduate of Prairie View A&M University, she entered the university at the age of 16, following in the footsteps of her parents and four of her seven older siblings. Graduating at the age of 19 with a degree in math, she was very popular among her campus peers and had been voted Miss Prairie View in 1954. She thereafter continued to represent the Miss PVAMU title with pride and often served as a judge in the annual Miss PVAMU Scholarship Pageant.
Johnson Smith
In 1958, Opal Johnson married fellow alumnus, Joe Edward Smith. Opal and Joe relocated several times during their 62-year marriage, but she always found and joined a local Prairie View Alumni Association. Well known for her service to the Dallas Alumni Chapter, she organized the annual Dallas Alumni Chapter Scholarship Gala, an event that generated nearly $1 million in scholarships for PVAMU students. During her tenure as president of the National Alumni Association, she secured many additional gifts for the university and was inducted into the National Black College Hall of Fame in 2003.
A devoted donor to her alma mater, she always urged others to give. “Give to Prairie View because Prairie View gave to you,” she often said. This mantra is an indelible aspect of her legacy as a distinguished alumna.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to the Opal Johnson Smith Scholarship Fund to further Ms. Smith’s legacy, lifting the lives of students in perpetuity.
Donations may be made by visiting
https://giving.pvamu.edu/OpalJohnsonSmith