Black Alumni Union

About Louis Smith 

Louis was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in "The Ville," a vibrant yet segregated neighborhood. After his father's untimely passing, the family relocated to the Seattle area to join relatives who had moved earlier during the Great Migration. Once settled, he attended middle school and high school, eventually graduating from Garfield High School in 1964. During his high school years, he played football and was a member of the 1963 Metro championship baseball team. Following graduation, he was accepted into the University of Puget Sound as part of the Freshman Class of 1964.  The total class size was 3,200 students.  The total number of African Americans was no more than four or five.  The total number of African Americans who lived on campus was one, Louis.  As a freshman, Louis was elected to ASUPS freshman class officer and the following year was elected to the office as an ASUPS Representative-at-Large.

As an athlete, in the fall of 1964, Louis earned a place on the UPS football team, which included All American Joe Peyton. I note that Joe, who was the only African American player on the basketball and track teams at the time, became not only a teammate in football and track but also a lifelong mentor, friend, and fraternity brother. Reflecting back, the football team had just three African American players in 1964: Joe, Louis, and Mel Jackson. As a defensive back, Louis distinguished himself by earning All Evergreen Conference honors.

After graduating in 1969, Louis pursued his graduate studies at the University of Washington. He also continued to chase his sports dreams, with the Seattle Rangers in the Continental Football League where he started as a defensive back. Notably, Louis was joined on that team by fellow Logger, Joe Peyton.

BSU

In the spring of 1967, Louis was part of a pioneering group of UPS Black students who founded the first Black Student Union (BSU) in the State of Washington. As the inaugural president, Louis established a lasting legacy that has supported generations of students on our campus for fifty-nine years and counting. This groundbreaking initiative not only impacted the university but also laid the foundation for every subsequent BSU in the state, spanning colleges, universities, high schools, and middle schools, all tracing their roots back to the first BSU at UPS.

Career Path

Government Service

Once studies were completed, Louis began his professional career in government service where he became a Washington State Planner in then Governor Dan Evans's Office.  As a member of the Budget and Planning Office, Louis was involved in policy development, fiscal planning, and legislative coordination.  Upon leaving state service, he went on to a similar position as Intergovernmental Relations Supervisor for the King County Executive John Spellman.  In his capacity in the Governor's Office, Louis supported the efforts in establishing the first Washington State Black Employees organization which eventually morphed into BUILD (Blacks United In Leadership and Diversity)

Corporate America

After his tenure in government service, Louis embarked on a successful 25-year career in the corporate sector. During this period, he excelled in various roles, including Sales & Marketing, Recruiting, Training, and Management. Over the years, his responsibilities expanded from local territories to regional, and national levels, showcasing his versatility and extensive expertise.  Throughout his career, Louis consistently upheld his commitment to student support initiatives. While in Dallas, Texas, he played a pivotal role in founding a professional medical association. This organization, dedicated to recognizing the contributions of pioneering Black physicians in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, provided scholarships of up to $5,000 per student per year  to graduating high school students aspiring to pursue medical careers.

Public School Teaching

After retiring from his corporate career, Louis embraced a new opportunity to teach at the middle school level in the Atlanta area. Over the next 17 years, he served as a teacher, team leader, coach, and Student Council Advisor. With the onset of COVID, Louis decided to retire from teaching and return to the State of Washington. Upon his return, he assumed the leadership role of President of the Black Alumni Union at UPS, a position he currently holds. In this capacity, Louis is frequently seen on the UPS campus, engaging with faculty, administration, students, and community leaders to support the educational journeys and aspirations of UPS students.

Olivia is a junior transfer student studying Politics and Government, and minoring in Musical Inquiry and African American Studies.  On campus, Olivia participates in Repertory Dance Group (RDG). Outside of academics she loves all types of music, the color pink, and maple bars.

Doug works as a controller for B&N Fisheries Company. He lives in Seattle, WA.

Nathaniel Buster Brown is the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Rain City Capital. He attended University of Puget Sound.

SandraRosa Bryant '12 is a librarian in Tacoma, WA. After completing her degree at the University of Puget Sound, she earned her Master’s Degree in Library & Information Sciences from Louisiana State University. 

Ian Cook is a current undergraduate student at the University of Puget Sound, majoring in Communication Studies and Education. As a student-athlete and active member of the campus community, Ian is passionate about leadership, mentorship, and supporting African American voices in academic and athletic spaces. He’s excited to connect with Black alumni and gain insight as he prepares for his future career in education and beyond.

Grace Livingston is Professor and Chair of African American Studies at the University of Puget Sound and she shares in the leadership of the Race and Pedagogy Institute. She is a co-principal in the Institute’s formation and building and also in the building of the minor and establishment of the major in African American Studies.  Livingston is a co-founder of the Race and Pedagogy Journal; serves on the Advisory Board for the Interdisciplinary Humanities Emphasis; taught in the School of Education and in the American Border Studies and Critical Dialectical Theory Special Interdisciplinary Majors; and taught, dramaturgy, and directed with the Theatre Arts department.

Lyle served as the Director of the Washington State Psychiatric Hospitals and the Washington State Director of Mental Health from 1979 to 1983 and 1983 to 1987 respectively.
He also served as the Director of the Safe Streets Campaign for Tacoma and Pierce County from 1989 to 1993.
Lyle was a Cabinet member for two Governors as the Secretary of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services from 1995 to 2000. DSHS is the largest department in state  government. 
In Pierce County Washington he served as the Chief of Staff for the Pierce County Executive from 2001 t0 2009 supervising 16 county departments. He then became President of Bates Technical College, one of the 34 Community and Technical Colleges in the State of Washington from 2009 to 2012. His last position prior to retirement was the Senior Advisor to the Chancellor of the University of Washington Tacoma.

If you were on campus in the late sixties, that blur of accomplishment was Regina Glenn, class of 1970. And 1971, when she earned her Master of Business Administration degree. “I was always high energy.” She graduated with a double major: business administration and education. “My first love has always been teaching. I wanted to teach young people about business and economic systems so they could be financially independent.”
Regina Glenn applied that lesson to her own life. After working for the City of Tacoma, Washington State, and the City of Seattle, she opened her own company, Pacific Communications Consultants Inc., in 1991. “The company is a combination of my years of working in the public and private sector. I was a skilled public speaker and facilitator. I worked in organizational development and training.” Glenn became a subject matter expert in diversity and inclusion and even helped the Chamber of Commerce set up its Multicultural Small Business Development Program. Meanwhile, PCC, Inc. continues to thrive. And it all started at UPS.
During her time on campus, Regina Glenn managed the bookstore, was first vice president of the student body, helped found the on-campus Black Student Union (BSU), was president of the Women’s Business Honorary Society, and a teaching assistant in the School of Business. All this, while also a wife and a mother to two toddler girls. “It wasn’t for the faint of heart, I’ll tell you. I was focused and organized.”
Regina Glenn helped establish the Black Alumni Union. She was on the UPS Board of Trustees from 1975-1984.
Favorite Memory: “Graduation. Both of them! And my time at the BSU. It was a haven. I felt at home there.”
Favorite place on campus: “Jones Hall. It reminded me of the east coast where I was from, and it was where a lot of good things were celebrated
 

Everybody in Tacoma wants a piece of Bernadette Ray ’99, M.A.T.’01. She can’t go to the grocery store without folks stopping to talk, so she tends to do her shopping at night. As the new principal of Wilson High School, Bernadette loves everyone in her community—current students, former students, parents, teachers—and being at the center of it all. But after teaching and coaching at Lincoln and Wilson high schools for nearly two decades, heading up the board of The Grand Cinema for eight years, being “peripherally involved” in Puget Sound’s Black Alumni Union, and sitting on an advisory council for youth oncology at MultiCare, she’s learning about balance. Sometimes that means going incognito in the cereal aisle." Read more about Bernadette in Arches, page 10.