'Smitty' Smith Has A Big Heart

The announcement that Antioch University plans to close its doors probably hit the radar screens of no one but a weary editor in Southside Virginia. Even if you know about Antioch and know that it once was the center of Hippie culture, that is not the kind of thing with which most locals would feel comfortable.

In its heyday of the 1960s and a bit beyond, Antioch asked this of its students:

“Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.”

That line came to mind the other day when I thought of one of my Florida friends, Robert “Smitty Smith, former mayor of Winter Haven, Fla., and former U.S. postmaster of that central Florida city.

I hope “Smitty” has long years ahead of him, but he really has done many good deeds for humanity, and I want briefly to tell you about one of his good works.

This good deed began in 1989 when I was a newspaperman in his city. Smitty wanted to help the young people from one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods to get an education that would give them a future.

He targeted Snively Elementary School and established mostly, maybe entirely, from his own funds a scholarship for a smart Snively fifth-grader. One scholarship was funded.

Through the years, Mr. Smith, a native of Claxton, Ga., worked diligently on this project. He modestly told me in an email last week, “…Many great people got involved and this year we gave 122 scholarships to Polk Çommunity Çollege to graduating fifth-graders.”

That is an amazing story, a story of persistence, a story of love, a story of vision and the future.

Eight of the scholarships went to Snively students and were presented to the youngsters by Mr. Smith.

The impact of this man’s work is awesome to behold. Smitty, you understand, is not a wealthy man. He gets by, but he is not a gold-plated Florida millionaire. His lack of money did not stop him for doing what he did. He has made a difference for humanity. He has passed a torch to the next generation surely in hopes that some of its members will do the same for those who follow them.

I find this to be a truly wonderful story, an inspiration to all who know about it. And yes, I am proud to call Robert “Smitty” Smith my friend. I could have no better one, no more inspirational one.