Glass Inc. - Reflections 1999-2019

“The best thing about glass is that it breaks!” Patricia Bardin Smith S ervice to community is in Robert Smith’s genes. And it all started with his great-grandfather, Dr. Frank H. Smith. Frank H. Smith was born in 1868 in Grenada, Mississippi. He attended Mississippi A&M College in Starkville and later graduated from the Southern Medical College in Atlanta. In 1892, he settled in Water Valley, Mississippi, where he practiced dentistry for 20 years. In addition to serving as a dentist, he was elected mayor of Water Valley — and later elected as sheriff of Yalobusha County. But serving his hometown and home county was just the beginning. In 1906, Dr. Smith served as president of Mississippi Dental Association. Four years later, in 1910, he was elected to lead the Mississippi Sheriff ’s Association. In 1913, Dr. Smith relocated his family and dental practice to Greenwood, Mississippi. During his years in Greenwood, he served on the board of trustees of the city schools and completed a 14-year stint as president of the Leflore Shriners. He was elected city commissioner in 1931. Later in the decade, he was appointed chief of police in Greenwood. He was also appointed by the Greenwood city commissioners to serve the uncompleted term of mayor John Bailey when Bailey unexpectedly resigned in 1935. Perhaps Dr. Smith’s greatest contribution to Mississippi was his love of the outdoors. Dr. Smith was an avid hunter and fisherman. He served on the board of the Mississippi Association for the Conservation of Wildlife, and in 1932 he was elected president. He 1 A Strong Foundation 11