Legacy
This company is dedicated to preserving the legacy of our grandparents printing and publishing business.
A musician at heart, Claude E. Smith (Papa) moved from Houston, Texas to Los Angeles, California to major in music at Compton College. After he got married, the realization set in that he needed to do something other then music to provide for his family. He gave up the trumpet for the printing press.
In 1968, with $500, he and his partner, Max Williams opened MC Printing & Publishing Co. He was able to build up this business to be one of the premiere printers that serviced many of the black funeral homes and churches in the area.
Papa was a master printer. He could do every task, from typesetting to press, along with all customer service and sales. His time was the age before personal computers, when printing was a labored and skilled trade. Blocks of metal had to be liquefied in order to create a metal "stamp" for every line printed.
MC Printing sustained many lives in the community and along with our family's livelihood. The integrity, effort and hard work that my grandparents dedicated to their business, are the same characteristics we bring to ours. We are proud to carry on the legacy of our grandparents, by utilizing the same logo that branded their company.
CLAUDE E. SMITH
Mentor & Exemplar