Extracted from The Ruston Daily Leader (Ruston, LA)
Sunday, November 2, 1997

Charles Robert Carver Smith

Born in Monroe, Louisiana, July 26, 1938 died of pulmonary fibrosis in Canchias, Honduras on October 20, 1997.

In 1956, Charles graduated from Ruston High School where he was on the state championship basketball team. After serving time in the United States Navy, Charles received his B.S. and Master's degree in Physical Education from La. Tech. From 1962-1964, he and his wife, Karen, served in the PEACE CORPS in Kangar, Malaya; he as a teacher and she as a nurse.

Following the PEACE CORPS he served as executive director of the Lincoln Total Community Action Program in Lincoln Parish -- a program started by the Federal Office of Economic Opportunity during the Johnson Presidency. While director, Mr. Smith started the Neighborhood Youth Corps and the Headstart Program. His office was the first integrated office in Lincoln Parish.

In 1970, Charles received a Master's degree in anthropology from the University of Kentucky. He continued as a doctoral student at the University in cultural anthropology where he did research and writing pertaining to the socio-cultural impact of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam and lake project that was being located in Spencer County. He authored two monographs and co-authored two others that were published by the Department of Interior.

In 1974, Charles was appointed Director of Community Development for Spencer County, Kentucky. He worked on behalf of people being displaced by the lake project. Charles created the Taylorsville Lake Advisory Committee comprised of federal, state and local officials which is still in operation in Taylorsville, Kentucky.

Mr. Smith moved to Lake Wales, Florida in 1976, to teach anthropology and sociology at Warner Southern College. Here he originated the HEART program, a program to train individuals for third world relief work. HEART was inspired by his PEACE CORPS training.

After seven years of teaching, he began working with Mercy Corps International in the country of Honduras, Central America. In 1988, Charles founded the organization HEART to HONDURAS and worked as its overseer until his death. HEART to HONDURAS seeks to meet the needs of the rural poor and make disciples of Jesus through cooperation with Honduran village churches.

Charles was preceded in death by his wife, Karen Stone Smith in 1993 and his father, Frellsen F. Smith in 1992.

He is survived by two daughter, Felicia Marie Smith Graybeal of Denver, Co. and Anne Marie Smith of Orlando, Florida; his mother, Myrtle Smith and his twin, Marie Riggs of Ruston; two other sisters, Anita Womack of Indiana and Lorna Kardatzke of Kansas and one brother, Alvin Smith of Baton Rouge.