When Doug Smith retired in 1997, after more than 30 years as a pathologist and nearly 20 years as a senior medical officer, he vowed that he would never serve on a board, join a committee or give orders again. That resolution is Adkins Arboretum’s great gain. Since 2010, Smith has worked faithfully with the Arboretum’s maintenance team, demonstrating week after week that no request is beneath his attention and no task is beyond his scope. For his boundless energy and unwavering dedication, he recently was named the Arboretum’s 2014 Volunteer of the Year.
After moving to the Eastern Shore, Smith volunteered with several nonprofits before discovering the Arboretum. He walked the woodland paths while his wife took a wreath-making class and decided to pick up debris along the way. “I walked every path during that three-hour class,” he recalled, “and I came back with three little pieces of debris.” That walk and a cup of coffee at the Visitor’s Center were all it took for Smith to join forces with Allison Yates, the Arboretum’s maintenance coordinator.
“I’m beyond tickled that Doug—or ‘Super Doug,’ as he’s called by anyone who has ever worked with him—was chosen as Volunteer of the Year,” said Yates. “He’s a master carpenter and a whiz at problem solving. There’s nothing he can’t do, and there’s no project he won’t tackle. His handiwork is everywhere you look on the Arboretum grounds. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without him, and there’s no way I can adequately thank him.”
Doug Smith of Worton recently was honored as Adkins Arboretum’s Volunteer of the Year for 2014. Photo by Toria Avigliano.
Smith has fixed everything from the Visitor’s Center pergola to a malfunctioning men’s room, in addition to trimming trees, monitoring the Arboretum’s 24 bluebird nesting boxes and helping Yates keep the Arboretum gardens and five miles of paths clear of debris. When rainstorms flooded the Arboretum’s streams, creating a dangerous sinkhole in the path at the foot of a bridge, he brought pontoons to the site, built a raft, and floated under the bridge so he could construct a bulkhead.
“I’m happy to do whatever needs doing at the Arboretum,” noted Smith, who recently celebrated his eightieth birthday. “I so love working with my hands. I’m a physician, and I fully understand that the best avenue to a long life is to not stop keeping busy. You’ve got to walk, to use your arms and legs, or you’ll just dry up.”
“Doug is a workhorse who could shame most people half his age by the sheer amount of physical work he can accomplish in a day,” said Arboretum Executive Director Ellie Altman. “I shake my head and wonder how the Arboretum staff could be so lucky as to work alongside him.”
“I feel most comfortable donating whatever capabilities I have,” said Smith. “I feel that I am of use at the Arboretum, and I feel that I am appreciated. I’ll keep at it until I can’t do it anymore. I honestly have loved every bit of my time here.”
Smith was honored on Sept. 25 at the Arboretum’s annual Volunteers Appreciation Dinner.
Liz Clark says
Mr. Smith’s level of volunteerism should be applauded by all. Doug also helped with transport for my husband through the Home Ports program.