Virginia Smyth, 90, helped pioneer services for seniors

By Shane Blatt

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Virginia Smyth was a pioneer in helping seniors live their remaining years both happy and healthy.

As co-founder of the Center for Positive Aging in the early 1980s, Mrs. Smyth championed services that helped seniors keep a positive outlook, stay motivated and active; and find meaning from one day to the next.

"If we're going to be 80 or 90, it's better to think of it [in a positive] way than in a sick mode," said Joyce Horsley, who also co-founded the nonprofit Atlanta-based group. "She was trying to help older adults make the most of their later years."

Mrs. Smyth's push to make those later years as golden as possible spanned almost a half-century. Her efforts started in the 1950s while working with the state's Department of Public Health, where she explored the needs of the older adult population.

From there, she joined the federal Department of Health, Education and Welfare and its successor, the Department of Health and Human Services. Mrs. Smyth became chairwoman of the Georgia's first interdepartmental committee on aging, and in 1960 she helped plan one of the first White House conferences on aging.

"She was in on the beginning on aging in all our states," Mrs. Horsley said.

Virginia M. Smyth, 90, of Atlanta died Oct. 28 of age-related complications at Lenbrook retirement community. The memorial service will be 3 p.m. today at North Avenue Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. H.M. Patterson & Son funeral home is in charge of arrangements.

Born in Ardmore, Okla., in 1919, Mrs. Smyth graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor's degree in social work and earned her master's in social work at Smith College in Northampton, Mass., in the early 1940s.

After years of working in state and federal government, Mrs. Smyth retired in 1981. But that didn't slow her quest to assist seniors, friends and family said.

In 1982, she and Mrs. Horsley founded the Center for Positive Aging, initially called Downtown Atlanta Senior Services. Mrs. Smyth volunteered for the center for 18 years.

Through collaborative partnerships with churches and community groups, the center created lifelong learning classes in art, history and religion; seminars for Alzheimer's patients; physical fitness classes; even meditation classes.

And with her background in social work, Mrs. Smyth counseled families on how to cope with aging relatives.

"She was very interested in making sure that people were educated and prepared with what they needed to know to stay healthy and care for themselves as long as possible," said Connie Eshenour, a 10-year center volunteer and employee. "She was very good at figuring out what the next need of the community was going to be."

In the early 1990s, that need was money. Mrs. Smyth predicted that many Americans reaching retirement age were spending too much money and that the nation was lacking in the number of retirement facilities and caregivers, Mrs. Eshenour said.

"As the boomers are aging, it's become very, very evident that's the case," she said. "Joyce and I were fond of saying, ‘Virginia will think of what we need to do next before we even think of it.' She was a visionary."

Mrs. Smyth is survived by half-brother Harbon Hugh McIntire of Oklahoma City, Okla.