At the recent annual meeting and luncheon of the Chattanooga Area Historical Association, Dr. R. Smith Murray was presented the 2015-2016 James W. Livingood Historian of the Year Award. The James W. Livingood Historian of the Year Award is presented to the individual that exhibits a lifetime of historical contribution in promoting, preserving, maintaining, or educating the public about the vast historic resources of the Chattanooga region.
Dr.
R. Smith Murray attended The McCallie School, Princeton University, and the University of Tennessee Medical School in Memphis. He completed his specialty training in Urology at Charity Hospital in New Orleans and recently retired from his practice in Chattanooga after 41 years. Smith enjoys history and writing. He has written three novels and one play along with numerous articles that have appeared in the Chattanooga Regional Historical Journal. Smith freely shares his love of local history with groups and had the opportunity of interviewing Shelby Foote several years ago. He is also past President of the Chattanooga Area Historical Association.
The award was established in 2011 in honor of historian, author, and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Professor Dr. James Weston Livingood. Dr. Livingood influenced thousands of students during his career and wrote a number of articles and books on the history of the Chattanooga area.