Smith, Leon Ross, Jr., 1929-2004

Born on January 20, 1929, in Pioneer, Texas, Leon Ross Smith, Jr., was the son of oilfield superintendent Leon R. Smith, Sr., and schoolteacher Hazel Hibler. After his mother died in 1935, Smith, Sr., married chiropractor Louella Clayton. Leon followed in his stepmother’s footsteps, attending Texas Chiropractic College in San Antonio for three years. However, in 1954, Smith moved to Austin to study music theory and composition, and he received a Bachelors of Music degree in Music Theory in 1956 and Masters of Music two years later, both from the University of Texas at Austin. Upon graduation, Texarkana College appointed Smith chairman of the Music Department, where he also taught music theory courses and directed the college choir. He founded the Texarkana Oratorio Society in 1959 and served as its first conductor.

In 1961, Smith received his doctorate in Music Theory from Indiana University in 1967. He then became chairman of the Music Theory and Composition faculty at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. While there he served as secretary and board member of the Tennessee Music Teachers Association, as well as editor of the TMTA journal. Smith also began work with music learning technology, including building the East Tennessee State University Listening Lab and the UT-Knoxville Learning Lab.

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