Frank Smith: Service to School, Country and Community

When Frank Smith won the Algernon Sydney Sullivan scholarship at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN in 1981, it was a big deal.

"Not only did it mean that I was LMU’s best all-around student, but it also meant that all the significant sacrifices I had made to stay in school were worth it,” he remembers. "The scholarship helped me stay there.”

Sine that time, Frank has lived a life based on service to others and, with the exception of military deployment to the war in Iraq, he has taken his Sullivan plaque and medallion to every office he’s had – including his current post as LMU’s Dean of Students, where he’s served for nearly four years.

"My first job after graduating from LMU was at Camelot Care Center Inc. I spent time as the Center Director of the Martin Luther King Center in Alcoa, Tennessee and Executive Director of Boys and Girls Clubs of Blount County. I am a Graduate of Boys and Girls Clubs Executive Leadership Program,” he says.

Frank spent 25 years of his career in the Tennessee National Guard, with the 278th Armored Calvary Regiment. Most of those years were spent with the 278th Chemical Company in Oak Ridge, except for a little over a year in Iraq. Frank’s service earned him numerous awards and accommodations, including the Global War on Terrorism Medal, Army Service Medal and Ribbon and State of Tennessee Medal and Ribbon. Since returning to civilian life, Frank volunteers for Family Resource Groups providing educational information to students and teachers about the war.

An active community steward in more than just his professional life, Frank is an elected Delegate to the Democratic National Committee in the 2nd Congressional District and volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Commission of Religion of Appalachia, Kiwanis Club, Optimist Club and Leadership Blount, and coaches youth football for ages 10 thru 13.

Frank was instrumental in setting up the first Remote Area Medical (RAM) weekend on the LMU campus to provide medical services to those in need, and is looking forward to its 5th year in 2010.

He is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Zeta Gamma Gamma Chapter, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Department for the City of Harrogate, and is a member of the current class of Leadership Claiborne.

Frank is a single father to twins, Jazmine and Jordan, who currently are students at LMU.

"Service is an important part of my life, because once you give, you not only get back in return, but you can see the benefits of your gift, whether it be the gift of time, talent or money,” says Frank. His actions underscore his words; Frank hasn’t taken a vacation in 25 years, instead using his time off to do service work, whether it’s building a Habitat house or giving free tennis lessons to kids in a local housing project.

"Working with Habitat may be the most meaningful thing I’ve done,” he says. "You can see the finished project and meet the family that lives in the house. That’s powerful.”