Smiths lay groundwork for solid education in Troup
BY SUZANNE LOUDAMY Staff writer

Juanece and Nolan Smith

The foundation of a building must be sound, well-built and steadfast. Each level of the structure must go up in the proper design. No matter how tall it is built or what purpose it serves, its sturdiness to withstand what comes is supported by that foundation.

Many in Troup can say that their educational foundation was laid by Nolan and Juanece Smith.

The Smiths came to Troup as a young couple from Lufkin in the fall of 1957. Mr. Smith was a math teacher in Buna and Lufkin. He brought his wife and children to this small town as he would become the new principal of Troup's elementary school. Mr. Smith also taught math at the high school. For a time, he also ran the school buses.

"We love being from a small town," Mrs. Smith said. "It was a privilege to teach in a small school."

The Smiths were quite accustomed to life in the small town. Mr. Smith was raised in Martinsville where he attended his first nine years of school. Mrs. Smith hailed from New Summerfield.

"I finished school at Nacogdoches High School," Mr. Smith said. "In those days we only had 11 grades."

Juanece and Nolan Smith from the 1974 Troup yearbook

His pursuit of education took him on to Stephen F. Austin and the University of Oklahoma.

"In the 25 years of being the elementary principal I really came to appreciate the importance of elementary education," Mr. Smith said. "Our teachers played many very important roles in the lives of those children. Many times they were also their mothers, nurse and confidant, not just their teachers."

Mr. Smith has a special place in his heart for "his girls" as he refers to them. He's talking about the many ladies who served as teachers in those elementary classrooms over his 25 years there.

Mr. Smith retired in 1982 after 39 years in education. For the next 10 years he did auto body work out of a shop behind his house, as well as keeping up a good size garden and beautiful yard. Smith said the body work got to be too much for him, but he still gets his green thumb a little dirty.

The second ingredient in this mix is Mrs. Smith. After moving to Troup she finished her college work and began her many years at Troup High School.

Mrs. Smith taught ninth and eleventh grade English, a skill that still serves her well today. Mrs. Smith is one of the proofreaders for the History of Troup book being written by several members of the community.

Teaching, raising a family and serving her church kept Mrs. Smith very busy, but not too busy to help out with graduation and many junior class plays over the years. She was also the yearbook sponsor.

"We had fun," Mrs. Smith said. "We had discipline, but we had fun. I loved my kids and some of our best friends to this day are our former students."

"We've taught children of our students and their children," Mrs. Smith said. "We turned out well educated students here with very few exceptions."

When talking about the importance of a firm foundation in education as well as life, Mrs. Smith reminisced about a special person in her impressionable years.

"One of my most beloved English teachers, Lois Boles, was such a great influence on me," Mrs. Smith said. Many current Troup teachers were her students and they tell her that she was a great influence on them.

Mrs. Smith retired in 1983 but stayed on as a substitute teacher. She taught full time through a semester in 1987 and again in 1988. She finished up her years at Troup ISD working with students who were subject to the in-school suspension class. She said this was a special time for her. She felt compelled to reach out to these students with all the love and compassion, if not more, than she had shared with all the students of her past.

The Smiths now enjoy watching, with great care and pride, as their great-grandson grows and thrives in his fifth grade class in TISD. There say they are very pleased with the progress and determination of this school district to attain achievement each and every day with each and every student.

When asked about traveling in their golden years Mrs. Smith says she sails the seas through the pages of her books and Mr. Smith gains his frequent flyer miles through the Discovery Channel.

The rock is still solid at the base of Troup ISD and the Smiths were pleased to play their part.