Smith to address monthly meeting

By Lisa Magers/CISD Community Services

May 01, 2009 06:05 pm

— Lowell “Stretch” Smith, Jr. will be the guest lay speaker at the Monday meeting of the Cleburne Christian Business Club, which will begin at 6:50 a.m. in the Student Center of the Cleburne branch of Hill College.
“I am so excited and honored to have Lowell Smith Jr. on the program, which will be my first as the new president of Cleburne Christian Business Club,” said Phyllis Fife. “He told me he plans to speak about something that has ‘been on his heart awhile.’
“I know of no one more respected and admired than Stretch Smith. He has made a difference in this community in so many ways — as a business leader, as a civic servant, as a supporter of any endeavor to improve the quality of life in Cleburne and Johnson County.”
Billy Cate will bring the special music. Cate, well-known for his musical skills with a guitar and a cowboy song, and his wife, Carolyn, are members of Field Street Baptist Church.
Smith is president and chairman of the board of the legendary “Cowpasture Bank,” formally known as the First State Bank of Rio Vista. His achievements in the banking industry at the local, state and national levels were recognized by the Texas Bankers Association on his 50th anniversary as a financial leader.
He graduated from Southern Methodist University and has served on the board of directors of the American Bankers Association and on the board of trustees, including as chairman, of SMU’s graduate school of banking.
In 2008 he received an honorary Doctorate of Business Administration from Texas Wesleyan University.
His civic involvement reflects his interest in all aspects of the community, including education, health services and economic development. He is a longtime member and past-president of the Cleburne Rotary and continues to serve on the Cleburne Economic Development Foundation board of trustees.
Smith was the first recipient of the Cleburne Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award, presented in 2006, for his 50 years of community involvement.
In 2007, members of the Cleburne ISD Board of Trustees changed the name of Cleburne Middle School to Lowell Smith Jr. Middle School in recognition of his service to education and youth. The school’s motto is “Stretching for Success.”
Smith and his wife, Shirley, donate several hours to Smith students and staff each week as school volunteers.
The Smiths are active members of First United Methodist Church of Cleburne.

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.