Page 6 - Amarillo Senior Link Magazine Winter 2021 - Online Magazine

Living,

Loving,

&Giving

Al and Pat Smith

by Jelaine Workman and Jane Bromley

exans are characterized by their
generosity and congeniality.
TAl and Pat Smith have trains. Nevertheless, he
demonstrated their version of those was single-minded about
qualities literally all over the world. his chosen career. His
father worked hard so
The Smiths are well known in the that he could pay for Al
Amarillo area for their generosity. to attend West Point to
The Amarillo Symphony, the get his civil engineering
Amarillo Museum of Art, the degree.
Amarillo Little Theatre, the Public
Broadcasting Station at Amarillo During the fall of
College, and Central Church 1952, Pat was attending
of Christ are just a few of the Abilene Christian College,
beneficiaries. and the longtime buddies
fell out of a tree swing. Pat and Al began corresponding.
Interestingly, their stories attended Lockney schools together Their friendship blossomed into
intersected early on. They can from first grade to graduation. They courtship. By December, they were
hardly remember a time when lived only five blocks from each engaged, and Al never made it to
they didn’t know each other. Pat other, rode bikes all over town, West Point.
was born in 1934 in Colorado City, worked together on projects for
Texas to Vernon and Katharyne the war effort, and remained good After their wedding on June 14, 1953,
Pylant. When she was 17 months friends throughout their school Al enrolled at Texas Technological
old, her parents moved to Lockney years. College in Lubbock because the
and opened a grocery store. Al was tuition was so affordable (only
born in Floydada to Charlie and Al was always a hard worker, and, $25 a semester at the time). The
Effie Smith in 1935. His family also at age 13, he went to work at the newlyweds lived in a tiny apartment,
moved to Lockney, where his local White’s Auto store, which and Pat worked to support the family
father worked for the county, was located fortuitously next to the while Al worked to earn his degree.
operating heavy earthmoving Pylant’s grocery store, where young During the summers, they both
equipment. Pat could often be found. worked for Al’s dad on the farm to
pay tuition the next year. Their first
Whether he knew it or not, Al made The young man always dreamed of son was born in 1954, and Al earned
a great first impression. Not only becoming a civil engineer, although a degree in Civil Engineering in May
did he invite little Pat to his fifth he admits that, in the beginning, he 1957 (a month after their third son
birthday party, he also was the first was disappointed to find out that was born.)
on the scene to help her up when she civil engineers didn’t get to drive

6 Amarillo Senior Link