Greater Lewes Foundation honors George H.P. Smith

Former Lewes Mayor George H.P. Smith was honored by the Greater Lewes Foundation Sept. 11, the day of his passing 16 years earlier.

The event, held at the Lewes library, was attended by dozens of family members, friends and former colleagues, including current Mayor Ted Becker and former Mayor Jim Ford.

“George was a people person and knew how to get things done,” said Ford, who served with Smith for 12 years. “George was a strong leader as well as a thoughtful, genuinely caring and humble person, loved by all who knew and worked with him.”

Smith was one of the founders of the Greater Lewes Foundation, and the George H.P. Smith Memorial Scholarship was established with the foundation in 2006. The scholarship endowment has grown to more than $80,000. Eight to 10 distributions are made each year, and they have helped more than 50 local African American students pursue their educational goals.

Education was a big part of Smith’s life. After graduating from local public schools, he earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at Delaware State University. After serving two years during the Korean Conflict, Smith returned to Lewes, devoting the next 35 years to education as a teacher, mentor and tutor in the Cape Henlopen School District.

Joe Stewart, chair of the Greater Lewes Foundation, said Smith’s upbringing likely shaped who he eventually became. After losing his parents, Smith was raised by his extended family and community, including nearly all the families on West Fourth Street and Park Avenue.

In 1976, Smith was elected to Lewes City Council, serving 18 years as a councilman before being elected mayor. He was one of the first African Americans to serve in that capacity in Delaware.

“George is remembered by all who knew and worked with him as a genuine, caring, unpretentious person,” Stewart said. “He was an effective leader. He provided good government all through his tenure on council and as mayor.”

Smith was present for many historic moments in Lewes history. He was mayor when a developer zeroed in on what is now Canalfront Park. After contentious meetings and a strong public effort to preserve the land, Smith went to Washington, D.C., in pursuit of federal funding to make it a park. 

He also led a coalition of business and city council members to reject an effort to build a coal port where Cape Shores now stands.

“One can only imagine what Lewes would be like today if we had 200 rail hopper cars of coal rolling through downtown Lewes,” Stewart said.

Smith’s wife Lorraine said he always saw the big picture.

“It’s been said that a manager thinks about today and tomorrow, but a leader thinks about the day after tomorrow,” she said. “To his credit, George was a man who thought about the future, in both his job and civic role, and could effectively communicate that vision.”

In 2003, Lewes dedicated the park surrounding Blockhouse Pond in Smith’s name.