LANETT — Barry Smith has spent his adult life helping people, and that’s the best kind of neighbor anyone could have.

“I guess I learned it from my dad (the late Norman Smith),” he said. “I grew up on the Mississippi gulf coast, and he was the perfect role model for me. I learned so much about life from him. He was the perfect dad for me.”

As worshipful master of Lodge No. 656, Lanett, Smith heads up fundraising efforts that generates scholarship money for local high school students. He’s been a mason for 37 years, and has been with the Lanett lodge for the past four years.

“I had such a great relationship with my dad,” Smith said. “We used to kid with each other a lot. I remember one time I told him that my tomatoes were doing so well because I kept aa picture of him in my patch, and it kept all the animals away. He used to call me and tease me the same way. I really miss him. I miss him every day.”

Smith said he learned from the example set by his dad to
be neighborly to everyone you meet.

“If someone in our neighborhood was sick, my dad would go and see them and ask if there was anything he could do to help them,” he said. “I credit him for having some good priorities in life. One of my goals in life is to help people whenever I can. I want to assist people if I can. I do in both in my local neighborhood and through the lodge.”

Smith added, “When I was growing up, I can remember people telling me how much better they felt after my dad had gone by to visit with them. It means a lot to those who are sick or shut in just to have someone come by and visit them.”

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