Background
Smylie was born in Huntington, West Virginia, where his father was a pastor.
Smylie was born in Huntington, West Virginia, where his father was a pastor.
He was educated at Washington University in Saint Louis, where he graduated Bachelor in 1946, and at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he was awarded his Bachelor's Degree in 1949 and master"s degree in 1950. From 1952 until 1962 he taught at Princeton Theological Seminary, initially while working on his Doctor of Philosophy there, which was completed in 1958.
He began his work at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia (now Union/PSCE) in 1962, becoming full professor in 1968, and remained there until retiring in.