By Butler Cain, Alabama Public Radio
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wual/local-wual-501605.mp3
Tuscaloosa, AL – Mabel Smythe Haith died last month in Tuscaloosa. She was 88 years old. Haith had a distinguished career in international politics. In 1962, President Kennedy appointed her to the U-S Advisory Commission on International and Cultural Affairs. Two years later, she was picked to serve as U-S representative for UNESCO, the United Nations' Educational Scientific and Cultural organization. In 1977, President Carter appointed her as ambassador to the Republic of Cameroon, a position she held for four years. Haith earned a doctorate in economics and law at the University of Wisconsin. She was also a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, and that's where this story picks up. Haith collected African art, and she was a primary contributor to Spelman's African Art Collection. Butler Cain spoke to Anne Collins Smith, the curator of collections at the Spellman College Museum of Fine Art.
OUTRO:
That was Anne Collins Smith, the curator of collections at the Spellman College Museum of Fine Art in Atlanta. She spoke with Butler Cain about Mabel Smythe Haith's donation of African Art to the museum. Haith died last month in Tuscaloosa.