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Chris Fisher, Sade Chick, Bill Darling, LaRue Smith, Louis Broussard, Pat Anderson, Guy Goodson
Recognizing the life of a man who served on myriad municipal boards in the Southeast Texas community, the Beaumont City Council honored the life of Lee Smith at its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, Nov. 9.
“This recognition, I am so honored to read,” said Beaumont Mayor Robin Mouton before giving Smith’s wife, LaRue Smith, a certificate from the city. “He always had a genuine smile and friendly words and treated his fellow board members and city staff with respect.”
On May 21, 2018, Commissioner Lee Smith was appointed president of the Port of Beaumont Board of Commissioners. Smith, who served as vice president from 2013-2018, was the first African American to serve as board president.
The Port of Beaumont is responsible for more than 12,608 jobs in the region and approximately $1.8 billion in economic output annually, ranking it fifth in the nation in terms of tonnage and third in the nation in terms of growth, according to Forbes.
“I try to be personal, and a good person,” Smith said of his approach on the job. “Be fair. Be straight. That’s real important.” Above all, “Just be nice. My mother always told me to be nice to people. Be kind. It’s worked for me.”
A respected leader in his community, Smith lived a life of service. He served his local community and the City of Beaumont in the following capacities: Trustee and usher at Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, vice-president and president of the Port of Beaumont Board of Commissioners, president of the Melton YMCA Board of Directors and Little League Baseball Organization, member of the Metropolitan YMCA Board of Directors, president and founder of the North End Neighborhood Association, service officer of the Dorie E. Miller Post 817 of the American Legion, directed the Post 817 Veterans Day project of placing American flags on graves of veterans, organized the Ameripol Synpol Thanksgiving Food Drive, hospitality chairman of the Charlton-Pollard High School Alumni Association, member of the NAACP, Beaumont Main Street Board and City of Beaumont Adjustment Board.
Always equipped with a smile and a kind word – or several – Smith was a welcome breath of fresh air enjoyed by all those he encountered. His legacy will live on as being, among a million other things, a real “nice guy.”