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2019 SESSION


HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 247
Celebrating the life of Marshall Wayne Smith.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 11, 2019

 

WHEREAS, Marshall Wayne Smith, an accomplished and devoted educator and college administrator, died on April 24, 2018; and

WHEREAS, Marshall Smith was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and raised in Hueytown, Alabama; he studied at the United States Air Force Academy and earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama, his master’s in education from what is now the University of West Georgia, and his doctoral degree from the University of Alabama; and

WHEREAS, while a graduate student, Marshall Smith began his illustrious career in higher education with roles in student housing and residence halls; a course at the University of Alabama about the then relatively new concept of community colleges ignited his passion for educating students from a variety of backgrounds; and

WHEREAS, Marshall Smith went on to serve as dean of students and assistant professor of education at South Georgia College; dean of instruction and then dean of the college at John C. Calhoun State Community College in Alabama, where he taught a popular, interdisciplinary Great Ideas in Western Civilization course; president of Germanna Community College; and vice-chancellor for academic and student affairs at the Virginia Community College System (VCCS); and

WHEREAS, in 1990, Marshall Smith left the VCCS central office to become the sixth president of John Tyler Community College (JTCC), a position he would hold until his retirement in 2013; he was its longest serving president, and under his leadership, JTCC added a second campus in Midlothian, nearly doubling its enrollment, expanded its workforce and dual enrollment programs, and developed a Nursing Education Center; Marshall Smith viewed community college education as “the highest calling of all”; and

WHEREAS, outside of his prominent family and career focus, Marshall Smith was involved in a variety of organizations and had a number of hobbies and passions; he served in the United States Air Force Reserve in the 1970s; he was an active member of Presbyterian congregations in Richmond and Midlothian; and he was a classically trained pianist and football fan who was a high school football official in Georgia and Alabama and a loyal fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Atlanta Braves; and

WHEREAS, Marshall Smith’s hobbies included reading, building model ships and railroads, and woodworking; a passionate athlete, he loved skiing, white water rafting, and playing baseball; and a lifelong scholar, he loved everything to do with Scotland and naval history; and

WHEREAS, Marshall Wayne Smith will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Sheila; his children, Heather and Matthew, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Delegates hereby note with great sadness the loss of Marshall Wayne Smith, accomplished and devoted educator; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Marshall Wayne Smith, as an expression of the House of Delegates’ respect for his memory.