Person:Roy Smith (25)

The Commercial Appeal, 27 August 2008:

DR. ROY MARTIN SMITH, 80, of Memphis, Professor Emeritus of the University of Tennessee, College of Dentistry, passed away August 23, 2008 at Kiry Pines Manor. Dr. Smith was born in Crockett County, Tennessee but spent most of his early life in Chester County, Tennessee where he attended Chester County Schools. He served in the U.S. Army in World War II and returned to attend Union University, Jackson, Tennessee, where he took his pre-dental education, was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, played varsity basketball, and where he met his wife to be. His graduation from the University of Tennessee, College of Dentistry was followed by an internship in Oral Surgery at the "old" John Gaston City Hospital. After several years of private practice, he entered the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medical Sciences and graduated with a degree in Pathology. This course of study led to his full time academic career. His thirty-six years of service to the University of Tennessee, College of Dentistry included twenty-one years as Department Chairman and the last ten years as Associate Dean for academic affairs and as Executive Associate Dean. Dr. Smith's professional achievements were well recognized by his peers and come in various forms including the Tennessee Dental Association Fellowship award for Distinguished Service and the Distinguished Faculty award given by the University of Tennessee Dental Faculty, as well as teaching awards from his students. Dr. Smith was a life member of the American Dental Association, the Tennessee State Dental Association and the Memphis Dental Society. He also held life memberships in the American College of Dentist and the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. He was award life membership in OKU in 1989. Dr. Smith was a past member of Eudora Baptist Church, where he served as Deacon but in more recent years had been a member of Germantown Baptist Church. Following his retirement, he served as President and on the Board of the University of Tennessee Retirees Association and more recently on the advisory committee of Kirby Pines Retirement Community. Dr. Smith was preceded in death by the love of his life, his wife of fifty-nine years, Katherine Reaves Smith, and by his only brother, Jerry K. Smith of Jackson, Tennessee. He is succeeded by his two daughters (and their husbands), Kathy (Gary) Veazey of Memphis and Janet (Carl) Hallock of Plano, Texas; four grandchildren, Martin Veazey (Ashley), Katherine Veazey, Michael Hallock and Mark Hallock. He left one great-granddaughter, Skyler Veazey. He also leaves a sister, Mrs. Joe Hardy of Northport, Alabama. Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until service time at 11 a.m. Saturday, August 30 at Memphis Funeral Home Poplar Chapel. Burial will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery. The family requests that memorials be sent to the Dr. Roy M. Smith Scholarship Fund at the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry, or to a charity of the donor's choice. Memphis Funeral Home Poplar 901-725-0100 www.memphisfuneralhome.net