Leo Smallwood receives recognition with his family on the Rattan High School baseball field. [Photo by Payton Guthrie]
Spotlight on Elders with Leo Smallwood
By Payton Guthrie
Choctaw Nation
Rattan, Okla. - Student. Teacher. Veteran. Coach. Principal. Rancher. Choctaw.
Leo Smallwood has lived a full life at the age of 97 serving his local community in Rattan.
Leo was raised on a farm as a middle child, “just right with the big ones to run over and the little ones not to bother with,” with three brothers and one sister.
“We dug out of the ground mostly what we lived on,” Leo said.
After graduating from Rattan High School in 1936 Leo followed his older sister to Southeastern Oklahoma State University in order to pursue his education. By working as a janitor, washing dishes in the cafeteria, and by milking cows, Leo Smallwood managed enough hours to get a temporary teaching certificate.
Leo’s first teaching position was in the sawmill community of Frazier Valley. Leo would ride horseback to school over the hills by way of pig and cow trails in order to teach 42 children at a salary of $65 a month.
“Being young and inexperienced I got quite an education,” Leo said about his first year teaching.
In February of 1942, Smallwood was drafted into the United States Army. After basic training Leo was positioned as an Army teacher for the cadets who didn’t know how to read or write. That assignment lasted about 18 months at Fort Sill before Leo was deployed overseas.
“I was sitting in South Hampton, England, when the invasion started,” Smallwood said, “the ground where I was sitting was shaking from the bombardment and the water would shimmer from the explosions.”
Six days after D-Day Leo Smallwood crossed the English Channel to patrol the hedgerows before taking part in the Battle of the Bulge.
Upon returning from the service he continued his studies at Southeastern where he met his future wife, Jane. He would receive his Bachelor’s degree in 1946 and his Master’s degree from North Texas State in the early 1950s.
Leo Smallwood became Coach Smallwood for Rattan High School upon completion of his Bachelor’s degree. He coached all levels of boys and girls basketball and created the school’s baseball program. Coach Smallwood changed Rattan from the ground up event changing the school’s colors from black and orange to green and white, as they remain today.
His time at Rattan led to over 625 baseball victories and 15 district titles. His basketball teams fared equally well winning over 600 games and 9 district titles.
After coaching and teaching for over 20 years, Leo transitioned into the role of Principal for the next 20 years, giving over 40 years of service to the Rattan School System.
The Rattan School System recently recognized Coach Smallwood for his works with the sports programs and his time as principal at Rattan High School. After the baseball game the fans and baseball players stood in recognition of his leadership of intramural sports at Rattan.
Watch the Leo Smallwood interview here