2000 Hellard Award Presented |
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COVINGTON, KY (November 14, 2000) — The fourth annual Vic Hellard Jr. Award was presented to veteran journalist Al Smith here today at the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center's annual conference at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. A former newspaper publisher, editor, and reporter, Smith is one of the state's most engaging and enduring media personalities. As host of Kentucky Educational Television's longest-running program, Comment on Kentucky, now in its 26th year on the air, Smith's formidable grasp of public policy and the rich history of his adopted home state have made him familiar across the state. Given in recognition of contributions to the future of the Commonwealth, Smith's life and work exemplify such commitment. Most recently, he was instrumental in forming Kentucky Leaders for the New Century, an effort to identify some of the state's most promising young leaders and engage them in actively working for the betterment of the state. In addition to his many contributions to the civic life of the state, Smith served in Washington as federal cochairman of the Appalachian Regional Commission under Presidents Carter and Reagan. For 25 years, he served as chairman or vice chairman of the Shakertown Roundtable, a public policy forum held annually at historic Pleasant Hill in central Kentucky. He is a past chairman of the Kentucky Arts Commission, a former president of the Kentucky Press Association, one of the founding directors and a chairman of Leadership Kentucky, and a cofounder and first chairman of the Kentucky Oral History Commission, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this month. As a member of the Prichard Committee for Educational Excellence, he chaired a Governor's Council on Educational Reform and was vice chair of the Council on Higher Education in the 1980s. He was on the founding board of the Governor's Scholars program and of Forward in the Fifth, a program for better schools in eastern Kentucky. He is a former trustee of Berea College, a former member of the University of Kentucky (UK) Hospital Council of Supervisors, and has served as an adjunct instructor at UK in the political science department and the Appalachian Studies Center. He holds honorary degrees from three Kentucky schools. In addition to his work in television and radio, Smith was in the news business for over 50 years as reporter, editor, and owner of newspapers. As an editor and publisher of weekly newspapers, Smith was active in community and state educational and economic development programs. Most recently, his elegant prose appears in Our Kentucky, a history of the state published by the University of Kentucky Press. "Through his radio, print, and television work, he constantly engages the public in a dialogue about what it is to be a Kentuckian and American in today's changing world," observed state historian, Dr. James Klotter. "His 'Comment on Kentucky' is as close to a statewide program as any around. Moreover, he conducts that program and himself with dignity and humor, and always shows his commitment to the things that make us better." Smith lived in Russellville for 22 years and in London, Kentucky, for six years. A native of Florida, he grew up in Tennessee, served in World War II, attended Vanderbilt and Tulane universities and worked on New Orleans daily papers for 10 years before coming to Kentucky in 1958. He and his wife Martha Helen, formerly of Hopkinsville, have three grown children and reside in Lexington. Criteria for the Hellard Award include the demonstration of long-term vision and innovation, championship of the equality and dignity of every person, efforts to enhance the processes of a democratic society, and an approach to work distinguished by commitment, caring, generosity, and humor. Hellard was beloved for his playful wit, which was often embellished with theatrical flourishes. "In Al Smith, we have the embodiment of all these values," observed Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center Board Chair Dan Hall, a Vice President at the University of Louisville. "Few have celebrated and challenged this state as Al Smith has, and we are all the better for it." Each year, the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center Board of Directors selects the Hellard Award recipient from among nominations submitted by the public. |
