A concurrent RESOLUTION

 

To request the Department of Transportation name the portion of Platt Springs Road in the Town of Springdale in Lexington County from its intersection with Rainbow Drive to its intersection with Wattling Road "Mayor Pat G. Smith Memorial Road" and erect appropriate markers or signs at this location containing these words.

 

Whereas, born May 17, 1951, in Cairo, Georgia, the Honorable Pat G. Smith Jr. was a son of the late Pat Gaulden and Rubye Dilliard Smith. In 1955, the family relocated to the Town of Springdale and were active members of First Baptist Church in West Columbia. The Smith family that included Pat and four siblings, were active members in First Baptist. Pat would later serve as a deacon here and he married Rosalie D. Smith, his wife of thirty-seven years, in the church sanctuary. A 1969 graduate of Airport High School, he attended Anderson College and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Newberry College. He furthered his education at the University of South Carolina with a master's degree in public administration; and

 

Whereas, in 1971, he began what became a nearly fifty-year career at Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School, a state agency for at-risk youth. Smith dedicated his professional career to the school in various capacities, with his longest stint as agency head from 1998 to June 30, 2025; and

 

Whereas, a devoted public servant, Smith was the second longest serving mayor in Lexington County history, serving as mayor of Springdale for nearly three decades. He also generously gave of his time and expertise to serve on a number of boards that included the South Carolina Municipal Association, the Central Midlands Regional Council of Governments, Central Regional Transit Authority, president of the South Carolina Association of Regional Councils, member and vice chair of the Joint Water and Sewer Commission, the State Workforce Development Board, and the Richland-Lexington Airport District Commission; and

 

Whereas, during his lifetime, Smith was the recipient of numerous honors, among them the Richard M. Kuffel Award for Excellence in Education and the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina's highest civilian honor, presented in recognition of a lifetime of extraordinary achievement, service, and contributions on a national or statewide scale; and

 

Whereas, a devoted family man, Pat and Rosalie enjoyed sharing their blessings with others, grateful to God for their forty-seven wonderful years together. They especially cherished time spent with their nieces and nephews, routinely celebrating baptisms, dance recitals, graduations, summer excursions, Christmas parties, weddings, and births at their home. Once, they even hosted dinner for the entire Lees-McRae College tennis team. Little else surpassed the joy those remarkable young people brought to his life; and

 

Whereas, following a life well lived and with his devoted wife by his side, Pat peacefully went home to be with the Lord on July 15, 2025; and

 

Whereas, it is only fitting and proper that the Honorable Pat G. Smith Jr., a man who dedicated his life to God, his family, and the community he loved is remembered with a road in the Town of Springdale named in his memory. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

 

That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, request the Department of Transportation name the portion of Platt Springs Road in the Town of Springdale in Lexington County from its intersection with Rainbow Drive to its intersection with Wattling Road "Mayor Pat G. Smith Memorial Road" and erect appropriate markers or signs at this location containing these words.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Department of Transportation.

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