Longtime community leader Betty Smith, a Joplin resident since 1929 who assisted with the peaceful integration of Joplin schools and the community, died Thursday after an illness. She was 96.

SMITH, BETTY “EMMA”Betty “Emma” Smith, 95, passed away February 5, 2005 at Quality of Life Homes in Evergreen. She was a long time resident of Lookout Mountain. She was preceded in death ...

Longtime community leader Betty Smith, a Joplin resident since 1929 who assisted with the peaceful integration of Joplin schools and the community, died Thursday after an illness. She was 96.