[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 100 (Thursday, July 23, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1397]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO THE LATE CARL HENRY SMITH, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 23, 1998

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, our nation's history is filled with stories 
of individuals who loved their nation, worked for their communities, 
led lives of professional accomplishment, and did all of this while 
remembering the importance of their families, offering love, support 
and a strong example for their children and grandchildren. I am proud 
to be able to relay another impressive life story to our colleagues: 
that of Carl Henry Smith, Sr., of Bay City, Michigan, who would have 
celebrated his 100th birthday on July 9.
  Carl Henry Smith, Sr., was born in to Peter and Molly Smith on July 
9, 1898. He was their fifth child. The family worked hard on their 
farm, and that spirit of hard work stayed with Carl throughout his 
life. He graduated at the top of his class at Western High School in 
1915, and then enlisted in the Michigan National Guard. His military 
service included time with the Second Michigan Ambulance Company during 
difficulties with Mexico at El Paso, Texas, and then saw his unit 
federalized into the United States Army in 1917. He served in France 
during World War I, and lost his left arm on August 29, 1918, at 
Soissions Juvigney. For his courage and bravery in caring for the 
wounded even though seriously injured himself, he was awarded the 
French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star and the Purple Heart. He met 
his eventual first wife, Jane, who was a Red Cross worker at Walter 
Reed Hospital here in Washington. She passed away in 1945.
  After the military, he attended the University of Michigan, earning 
his law degree and being elected to the Board of Editorial Assistance 
for the Law Review. He was a member of the last graduating class of 
Lane Hall, Michigan Law School, before going on to service as the Bay 
City assistant prosecuting attorney, the Bay City prosecuting attorney, 
Probate Judge of Bay County, and Circuit Judge of Bay County. He 
continued his education, earning his doctorate of laws in 1950. He also 
served as the 15th President of the State Bar of Michigan--a post later 
earned by his son Carl H. Smith, Jr.
  Carl Henry Smith supported his fellow veterans, being the only State 
Commander of the American Legion elected without opposition, 
unanimously, on the first ballot. He was a member of the First 
Presbyterian Church, the Elks, the Red Cross, and a Trustee of Alma 
College. He was also a prominent member of the Bay County Republican 
Party.
  He remarried in 1957, but then himself died from a stroke in 1961. 
His wife Caryl Jane Smith currently lives in Rochester Hills, Michigan. 
His sons Richard and Carl, Jr., and his daughter Elisabeth and their 
families live in Bay City. His grandson, Dr. Peter D. Smith, is the 
individual who brought Carl Henry Smith to my attention, telling me 
that his grandfather was his ``best friend'' and taught him the 
``spirit of family.''
  Mr. Speaker, when we want to know of the importance of family, let us 
think of individuals like Carl Henry Smith, Sr., who earned so much 
love that his family wants to celebrate what would have been his 
centennial by reminding us of what this great man did. If only there 
were more people like him.

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