It wasn't until seventh grade that Christina Smith found out her dad was a historic figure in Dallas.
She mentioned to her parents that her teacher had put out a call for "Questions of the Day" that her class would puzzle over at the beginning of each class period. J.V. Smith told his daughter he had a question she should suggest: Who was the first black man hired by the Dallas fire department?
"I was like, 'What, who was it?'" Christina Smith recalled. "And he was like, 'Me!'"
Smith, an Oak Leaf resident, was a humble man of few words, his daughters said.