Dallas County loses two great friends in Smith, Jones

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The recent deaths of Douglas William Jones, left, and Warren Allen Smith has bereft Dallas County of two staunch friends.

Seeing old friends pass away isn’t easy for any of us, especially if those friends are the kind of people who can walk into a room and light it up with genuine warmth or infectious laughter.

Dallas County lately lost two such great friends who were just that kind of larger-than-life figures.

The first to pass was Doug Jones, a passionate archaeologist, historian, plant breeder, football fan, Celtic music promoter, paranormal enthusiast and political activist for the native people of Iowa.

As one of the archaeologists in the state historic preservation office, Jones was advising the Dallas County Historic Preservation Commission on the archaeological investigation of the Seth Dayton Stagecoach Inn when he died Nov. 4, 2016, at the age 50.

Doug was always willing to come to Forest Park Museum and other places in our county to give presentations on the underground railroad in Iowa and other topics, such as the Native American-era and Pioneer-era fish weirs (fish traps) on the three branches of the Raccoon River in Dallas County.

Many of us will fondly remember his infectious laugh as he stood knee deep in the river, directing the volunteers surveying the traps.

Doug was renowned for his knowledge of historic preservation and fearless advocacy for Iowa’s historic and prehistoric sites. He viewed the Native American and African American cultures in Iowa as important parts of our state’s modern society.

He never shied away from taking on federal bureaucrats or politicians of any stripe and was a self-described “mosquito that draws blood.”

His spirituality and interest in Big Foot and all types of paranormal studies was a subject of consternation to some of his fellow scientists, but Doug had no problem reconciling his deep spiritual side with his skeptical scientific side.

The Celebration of Life event held at the State Historical Society Dec. 4 was attended by hundreds of people from all walks of life. It proved to be a very moving event that showed we are all simply human beings, regardless of race, religion, political beliefs or social class.

On Sunday, Jan. 8, Dallas County lost one of our great promoters. Warren Allen Smith, a 95-year-old native of Minburn and longtime resident of New York City and Connecticut, was a third-generation Dallas County resident who never forgot his Iowa roots.

A voluble atheist and militant gay-rights advocate, Warren was a warm and very generous person who loved shocking people, particularly some of his Minburn High School classmates from the late 1930s.

Warren first came to New York when he was drafted by the Army and sent there before being shipped off to Europe. He once said that on his dog tag, next to the word religion, it read “none.”

Warren served in World War II and landed on Omaha Beach in 1944. He became the chief clerk to one of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s adjutant generals at the little red school house in Oise, France, where he was in charge of making sure supplies were obtained for the front-line troops during events such as the Battle of the Bulge.

His typing and piano playing skills were in great demand throughout the war and he played for high society members and generals stateside and overseas.

Released from active duty, Warren returned to college under the G.I. Bill. He studied philosophy at the University of Chicago and then returned to the University of Northern Iowa to major in English.

At UNI in 1948, he founded the first Humanist Club on any college campus. He later hitchhiked to Columbia University, where he earned a master’s degree in 1949 and also founded a second Humanist Club, of which the progressive educational reformer John Dewey was the first member.

Warren’s later career as a schoolteacher, businessman, author and activist would fill entire books. In fact, they did. He wrote a series of volumes about his colorful adventures.

As a teacher at New Canaan High School in Connecticut, he received glowing reviews for his very tough English classes and the great understanding he showed his students. Many of his students went on to become famous in their fields, and several are well known to most people.

As a businessman, Warren and his longtime partner, Fernando Vargas, created the very successful Variety Recording Studio in New York City. His clients included Liza Minelli, Chubby Checker, Sun Ra and many others.

Along the way he became friends with people like Tiny Tim and the painters Anita Wechsler and Paul Cadmus. He even served as agent for Broadway star Gilbert Price.

As an author, Warren wrote extensive columns for many different gay-rights publications and secular-humanist journals and eventually wrote a number of books, including his best known work, “Who’s Who in Hell: A Handbook and International Directory for Humanists, Freethinkers, Naturalists, Rationalists and Non-Theists.”

As an activist, he was present at the Stonewall Riots, campaigned against AIDS in Costa Rica and assisted several Caribbean politicians in their efforts to improve the lives of their people.

Warren became very intrigued by other people’s spiritual beliefs at a young age and wrote letters to many well known people, asking them their views. Amazingly, most people he asked responded to him, and the letters became the foundation of a special archive so unique that it now resides at Harvard University.

One of the most interesting things about Warren was his incredible gift for being in the right place at the right time. He coupled this with his caring nature, as seen in his tutoring of scarred survivors of the Hiroshima bombings and assuming a surrogate father role to six orphan boys and two girls, even putting some of them through school.

Several of Warren’s children visited Iowa farms in the 1950s and have fond memories of our state. Two of them became world famous, one as a musician and the other in the plastic arts.

Visitors today can see some incredible artifacts from this amazing man’s life at Forest Park Museum, and we are very proud to help preserve his memory. Warren’s legacy proves that an individual can accomplish great things.

So it is with a deep sense of sadness that I say goodbye to Doug and Warren. Thank you both for making the world a better and less inhumane place.

2 COMMENTS

  1. My family was a farm family chosen by Warren A. Smith to host one of his inner city “sons” in the mid-sixties. He was a delight and truly one of a kind. Pleased to call him a friend.

  2. Doug was a regular “luncher” at our restaurant Streetcar 209 (and The House of Bricks). Always in a good mood and always a good conservation. He was a great man who will truly be missed.

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