SPRING 2023 21 part of Camp was the never-ending supply of bologna sandwiches that we were given for lunch every day.” The Evolution of the Virginia Tech “A Classroom In The Woods” Forestry Spring Camp, by Dr. Smith, can be found in the archives at Holiday Lake 4-H Educational Center, Appomattox, Va., where he describes the ideal location for forestry and natural resources education: “We have often said that a picture is worth a thousand words; however, to touch, smell, hear, see, and study worms, seedlings, spiders, mice, wildflowers, deer, trees, birds, and everything else in our forests is worth more than a thousand pictures. Most of us grew up with our special places in the woods, along fence rows or in fields. Today, with more than 80 percent of our population living in urban and suburban areas, children do not have the exposure to how our natural world really works—we knew firsthand how things grow, where things come from, and that life and death is a natural necessary part of the biological world. “Over the years I have had the opportunity to visit forestry and natural resource education sites in more than 15 states scattered across the U.S. Many of these sites have nice facilities and something unique to offer, but none have as much to offer as we have here at Holiday Lake 4-H Educational Center. We have a very comprehensive and complete set of attributes and strengths that I do not believe can be found anywhere else in the U.S. Let’s put these attributes and strengths together and become a leader and one-of-a-kind Center for forestry and natural resource education.” In 2006, when the 4-H Center decided to establish the Legacy Wall, we asked Dr. Smith to write a paragraph explaining in layman’s terms, each of the types of trees to be used as the wood for the frames for the displays. This included shortleaf pine, red maple, white oak, black walnut, and American chestnut. The frame to display Dr. Smith’s legacy portrait is white oak and was made by Jerry Foltz. It is a fitting honor of Dr. Smith, as he stated this about the magnificent white oak: “This tree is known for its strength, longevity, and spreading crown.” Like the white oak, in the field of forestry and natural resources, Dr. Smith has given over five decades of strength and longevity, and as an educator, he has spread his knowledge like the great white oak’s crown. “We have often said that a picture is worth a thousand words; however, to touch, smell, hear, see, and study worms, seedlings, spiders, mice, wildflowers, deer, trees, birds, and everything else in our forests is worth more than a thousand pictures.”
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