1958 - Garden And Books Beckoning Smith

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Roanoke Times - February 28, 1958

Garden And Books Beckoning Smith

   The tall white-haired man settled back in his favorite chair, 
glanced from a room full of books to an expansive garden outside and 
said "I've been planning this for years. I have plenty to do."
   This was R. H. Smith commenting on his retirement as president of 
the Norfolk and Western Railway March 31.
  "I have a good piece of garden that needs weeding out there and I 
have lots of books to read," he added.
   Mr. and Mrs. Smith live in a handsome white brick house at 167 27th St., SE.
   The man who finished Princeton University and came to work for the 
N&W as an axeman on the Pocahontas Division will not be sitting down 
when he steps out of the presidency at the end of next month. He'll 
keep an active interest in the railroad as a director.
   Roanokers who have seen his erect frame stepping briskly along a 
downtown street may not know that Smith will celebrate his 70th 
birthday in March.
   For many years, he walked to his office from his home on Franklin 
road. And just last Sunday he walked more than two miles from his 
South Roanoke home to check on things at the office.
   "The railroad runs 24 hours a day and seven days a week, you know."
   His nostalgia about retiring extends to the gradual passing of the 
steam locomotive.
   The steam engine, said Smith, is "kind of a tough old animal."
  "We look on those steam locomotives as our children. For about 30 
years, we designed and built every one we used. And some of them will 
do a good job for a numbers of years yet. We're proud of them."
   The diesels, first put into use by the railroad about two years 
ago, are doing "fine", he said.
  Smith called 1957 "one of the most satisfying years we've had on 
the railroad." Last year, he said, the N&W handled its biggest volume 
of business, had its best earnings, hauled more tons of coal per 
train and had "the best figures we've ever had."
   The retiring president observed, "There comes a time when we ought 
to turn the active job over to younger and more vigorous people. 
Business today needs a steadily growing amount of energy."
   What of his successor?
  "One of the important jobs of the president of any business is to 
develop someone to carry on when retires . . . I'm very proud of the 
job I've done with Stuart Saunders."
   The man who is retiring is in the midst of a job he considers 
almost as important as his railroad duties. He's actively led the 
work of the Citizens Committee for Schools in promoting the March 11 
school bond issue.
   And he has a long record of community service in other fields. He 
won't be retiring from this.

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- Ron Davis, Roger Link