Fred Cecil Smith (1953-2026), Mississippi's Greatest Bookman Has Passed

Fred Cecil Smith, 72, of Starkville, Mississippi, a nationally respected antiquarian bookseller and archivist, passed away after a long battle with cancer on February 28, 2026, at his home surrounded by his family.

The only son of Frank Ellis and Helen Ashley McPhaul Smith, he was born May 16, 1953, in Washington, D.C., named for his father's brother Fred who died in World War II at Guadalcanal. His father served six terms as a Congressman from Mississippi (1950-1962), and after defeat in 1962 served nine years on the Board of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Fred and his twin sister Kathy grew up in a home filled with books, watching national political leaders circle around their parents.

Fred attended Millsaps College in Jackson, graduating in 1976 with a degree in History. In February 1982, he joined his father to establish Choctaw Traders, commonly called Choctaw Books, located originally near the historic depot in Ridgeland's Old Town Square. Over 36 years under Fred's leadership, Choctaw Books became one of the nation's most important antiquarian bookstores, and was regarded as a Southern literary treasure. Journalist Sid Salter called the store "a cozy oasis" for bibliophiles in Mississippi.

Fred operated the store full-time until fall 2013, and continued to sell books there until 2018. He joined the Archives and Special Collections Division of Mitchell Memorial Library at Mississippi State University in 2017 as the Coordinator of Rare Books, where his expertise in Mississippiana and Rare Books was nationally respected. He created many videos for Mississippi State Libraries entitled "Cultural Conversations" in which he interviewed important individuals associated with history and literature.

He married Mary Frances Thurman on June 5, 1976. Fred is survived by the love of his life and wife of 50 years, Mary Thurman Smith; his son Frank Ellis Smith II of Rock Hill, South Carolina; and daughter Anna Marie Baldwin. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations may be made to the Archives and Special Collections at Mitchell Memorial Library at Mississippi State University (395 Hardy Road, Mississippi State, MS 39762) or the charity of your choice.