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Hit-run Driver Kills Pastor
Victim Darwood K. Smith, an ex-child actor,
was well-known in Adventist circles.

BY LISA O'NEILL HILL
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

IVERSIDE--From a childhood on the silver screen playing "Waldo" in the "Our Gang" comedy series to missionary work in Thailand, Darwood K. Smith's life was full, and filled with love for his church and God, his son said.

About 11 a.m. Wednesday [May 15], the 72-year-old Seventh-day Adventist pastor was on his daily walk on Riverside's Arlington Avenue and Sweetwater Drive. He was reading the latest Newsweek magazine; he was always reading something. A small, tan truck drove up on the sidewalk, hit him and stopped. Then the truck sped away, police said.

Pastor Smith [right], known as D. Kenneth or Kenneth Smith, died about 8:40 p.m. at Riverside Community Hospital, surrounded by his four sons -- all pastors -- his wife Jean, and other relatives. He was one month shy of celebrating his 51st wedding anniversary.

Loved missionary work
"He had a marvelous life and suddenly it has come to an end," said David Smith, 47, one of Pastor Smith's sons and the head writer for the Seventh-day Adventist radio show, "Voice of Prophecy." David Smith said his father was a man whose passions were his missionary work and giving Bible studies. Pastor Smith loved board games but was terrible at golf. He played the sport anyway.

He was particular about his food; he lived in Thailand for 14 years and never learned to tolerate the spicy cuisine, preferring mostly sticky or fried rice, his son said.

He was well-known in the Seventh-day Adventist community across the state, having served as pastor at churches in St. Helena, Santa Maria and several communities in Southern California. In the early 1970s, he served as mission president for two years and was responsible for coordinating missionary work for the church across the country.

"He's just beloved to every congregation he's ever worked for," David Smith said. Pastor Smith officially retired in 1994 but worked part-time at La Sierra University Seventh-day Adventist Church, a 2,500-member congregation near the university where his son, Dan, is senior pastor. He was a graduate of what was then known as La Sierra College.

Downplayed Hollywood days
A quiet man who never was ostentatious, Pastor Smith did not advertise his days in Hollywood, said Brad Whited, associate pastor for administration at La Sierra University Seventh-day Adventist Church. "He downplayed it," Whited said. "He was a very mild-mannered man and didn't brag about that."

Using the stage name Darwood Kaye, Pastor Smith [with glasses] was in 22 of the "Our Gang" comedies, working with Robert Blake and the actors who played Buckwheat, Spanky, Alfalfa and others, his son said. Pastor Smith also appeared in numerous other productions, including a 1944 Lucille Ball film called "Best Foot Forward."

David Smith said his father became a Christian when he was 15 years old, and left the movie business behind.

Considering the fates of some of the child actors Pastor Smith worked with -- including Blake who has been charged with murdering his wife -- "I would say he made a good choice," David Smith said. Pastor Somchai Piromgraipakd met Pastor Smith in Bangkok, Thailand when Pastor Smith was chaplain of the Adventist hospital.

"He loved the Thai people and the Thai people loved him," said Piromgraipakd, now pastor of the Thai Town Seventh-day Adventist Church in Hollywood.

The family was soon slated to go back to Bangkok for a reunion missionary trip. Piromgraipakd said he was helping Dan Smith translate his sermons.

Police seek leads
Riverside police Sgt. Don Taulli said police need the public's help in finding the man who struck Pastor Smith. A witness who saw the truck stop, then speed away, followed it to Norco, Taulli said. The driver was waving his arms around and talking to himself as he sped away, the witness told police.

The driver of the truck, driving erratically, stopped on California Avenue between Seventh and Eighth streets in Norco, then took off again, the witness said. When he got to Sixth Street and California, the driver headed straight for another car and almost hit it head-on.

The witness took down the number from the blue-and-gold license plate, but it appears to be an older plate and some are purged by the DMV after seven or nine years, Taulli said.

The suspect's truck will have substantial damage to the front, police said.

Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call Taulli at 826-5576 or Riverside police Detective Frank Clark at 826-5235. Callers may remain anonymous.

This article, which first appeared on May 17, was reprinted with permission of The Press-Enterprise newspaper.

News Notes

As part of the North American Division=s plan to revive the Sabbath School Mission Investment program, Ed Reid, stewardship department director for the North American Division, has initiated a new agreement with the Kellogg Company increasing reimbursement for product labels. Sabbath school members should save labels with the bar code from the nearly 150 products produced by Worthington, Loma Linda, Morningstar, and Natural Touch. In exchange, Kellogg will reimburse the Division Investment Fund for US$.05 per label. This is 2.5 times the amount that has been in effect for the past 40 years.

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