CRT, The Perfect Gift!

Earl E. Ihle, Jr., 33°
Director of Development

Photo: ©Maxwell MacKenzie, Washington, D.C.

In this article, we profile the late Col. Joseph H. S. Smith and his wife, Ruth A. Smith, for their recent gift benefiting the Scottish Rite Foundation, S.J., USA, Inc.

We are very lucky to count among our wonderful Scottish Rite donors the late Brother Joseph Henry Slack Smith, 32°, and his wife of 54 years, Ruth A. Smith. Born January 7, 1922, in Alma, Georgia, Bro. Smith had a distinguished military career followed by a career in finance and real estate. Col. Smith was raised a Master Mason in Joppa Lodge #362, Shreveport, Louisiana, and became a 32° Scottish Rite Mason on May 17, 1943, in the Valley of Shreveport.

Before his death in December 2002, he had been working with Ill. Earl E. Ihle, Jr., Director of Development, to establish a Charitable Remainder Trust to provide scholarships to needy students. Unfortunately, he passed away before finalizing the trust, but his wife, Mrs. Ruth A. Smith, wanted to carry out her husband's desires. She signed an enforceable pledge of $1,000,000 to be fulfilled by a bequest in her will. The money will be used to fund the Col. Joseph H. S. Smith and Ruth A. Smith Scottish Rite Scholarship Program. Mrs. Smith said that her husband valued education and loved being a Scottish Rite Mason. So, it was important to him to leave this legacy. After learning about Col. Smith's life, one can understand how much it meant to him to help establish this wonderful scholarship program for the benefit of persons (1) who are working toward an undergraduate or postgraduate degree at a United States accredited university; (2) who are members of the Scottish Rite or who are affiliated with it through a parent, grandparent, uncle, spouse or brother, or who are children or grandchildren of a widow of a Scottish Rite member; and (3) who are in financial hardship, i.e., unable to attend school without taking out substantial loans.

In 1939, after graduating from high school, Col. Smith enrolled at Georgia Tech where he studied chemical engineering. When World War II intensified, he left school and enlisted in the United States Army. An achiever, Smith quickly attained the position of Platoon Sergeant and was then selected for Officers' Candidate School. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1944 and assumed his first command at Aberdeen Proving Grounds Ordnance School in 1948. That same year, he married his wife, Ruth, in Baltimore, Maryland. The two met at the ski slopes in Italy, while he was on leave. Thus, Col. Smith's Hall of Honor portrait pictures the Matterhorn in its background.

Col. Joseph H. S. Smith, 32° Hall of Honor Portrait Original Oil Painting by Jean Pilk

Col. Smith's 31-year military career included a variety of assignments, with tours in Italy, Germany, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and the Pentagon. He commanded procurement agencies and helped consolidate contract management services of defense and government departments. He attended all military colleges, including Command and General Staff College, and the Industrial College. In 1967-68, he was Commanding Officer of the U.S. Army Procurement Agency, Vietnam, the U.S. Military's largest foreign-based organization of its kind. Col. Smith eventually wrote a book, Procurement in Vietnam, that detailed how this agency was able to function successfully in a combat zone. Then, Col. Smith was the Commanding Officer of the 2nd Support Brigade in Hanau, Germany. He reorganized and expanded the unit into the present Fifth Corps Support Command and served as the first Commander during its initial provisional stages. Brother Smith then served as Deputy Commander for Operations with responsibility for seven operational battalions and various staff elements. In June 1970, he assumed command of the principal supply and maintenance facility for the United States Army, Europe, Kaiserslautern Army Depot, helping to supply materials to NATO nations.

When he retired from active military service in 1974, he was Executive Assistant to the Deputy Director of the Defense Contract Administrative Services of the Defense Supply Agency. After he retired, he spent more than 20 years as the President of NVAR (Northern Virginia Association of Realtors), Federal Credit Union, as a broker for Mt. Vernon Realty, and as Vice President of Hallmark Homes. Col. Smith was a member of the Military Order of the World Wars and the Harvard Business School Club of Washington. His military decorations include a Legion of Merit and Bronze Star.

Not all of Bro. Smith's time in the military was devoted to normal military duties. With his love of education, Brother Smith found time to earn his bachelor's degree and more. In 1956, after two years of intensive study in which he attended two Boston colleges full-time, Col. Smith simultaneously graduated with a B.S. degree with honors from Northeastern University and with an M.B.A. from Babson Institute in Wellesley, Massachusetts. In 1967, he received his Ph.D. in Business Administration from American University in Washington, D.C., climaxing a long educational venture that was largely accomplished on his own time and at his own expense. In 1970, Col. Smith represented the U.S. Army Europe at the 58th Advanced Management Program at Harvard University, with top executives of business and industry from 19 countries around the world.

In addition to prizing education, Col. Smith loved history and was an avid reader. His love of history led to the discovery that his distant relatives were members of the Wyatt family of Allington, Kent, England, a clan that since the time of Richard III has been deeply immersed in the events of their day. The Wyatt female offspring moved to America before the Revolution and married into the Smith family of Virginia. Their sons were officers in the Revolutionary War and began a tradition of military service that was carried on by Col. Smith.

We are very proud to have had Col. Smith as a Brother and are grateful to him and his wife, Ruth A. Smith, for setting up this future scholarship program.

- Our Development Team -

Earl E. Ihle, Jr., 33°, is the team's Director of Development. He has been a member of the Fraternity for 30 years and served in 1978 as Master of Lafayette Lodge, #111, Baltimore, Maryland. He is also a member of Boumi Shrine Temple in Baltimore, the York Rite, and a dual member of the Scottish Rite Valleys of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Contacts: Tel. 202-777-3143; Fax 202-884-0183; or call 1-866-RITECARE (748-3227) Toll Free; eihle@srmason-sj.org.

Barbara G. Golden, Esq., is the team's Director of Planned Giving. Barbara is an attorney with experience in tax, corporate, and commercial real estate law. She managed a non-profit legal services organization for several years and has extensive experience in fundraising, grant writing,
and program operations. Contacts: Tel. 202-777-3163; Fax 202-884-0183;
or call 1-866-GIVESRF (448-3773) Toll Free; bgolden@srmason-sj.org.

Dr.Thomas M. Boles, GC, is the team's Advisor on Philanthropies. A member of the Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Ana Valleys, he has worked extensively in fund-raising for children's programs throughout our Fraternity. Contacts: Tel. 562-691-4227; Fax 562-691-5327; or call 1-800-SRMASON (776-2766) Toll Free; tboles@srmason-sj.org.