Chesapeake’s 2018 First Citizen announced
Mr. R. Carroll Smith, Sr. has been named Chesapeake’s First Citizen for 2018 by The Chesapeake Rotary Club. The award will be presented to Mr. Smith at a banquet to be held at the Chesapeake Conference Center on Thursday, September 20, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.
A resident of the City of Chesapeake since the tender age of five (5), Smith has lived in Chesapeake since 1946 and is a graduate of Oscar F. Smith High School. After honorably serving his country in the U. S. Army, he teamed up with William J. Hearring, the founder of Hearndon Construction, in 1975. He later became a partner in the business and, ultimately, came to be a co-owner of the company. Having built thousands of homes in the City of Chesapeake and surrounding areas, the company continues to be active in both development and construction throughout the region.
Mr. Smith is a charter member of the Chesapeake Sports Club and was honored as its 2018 Member of the Year. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Bank of Hampton Roads and has been active in The Lions Club, The Chesapeake Public Schools Education Foundation Blue Ribbon Committee and The Boy Scouts of America. He has also worked to benefit The United Way, The Salvation Army, Hope Haven, The Virginia Special Olympics, The Chesapeake Health Foundation, The Union Mission, Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, Seton House, Eastern Virginia Medical School and other locally based charities. Mr. Smith has been a member of Tidewater Builders Association since 1975, and was honored as its’ Member of the Year in 2014.
In many ways, R. Carroll Smith, Sr. has contributed greatly to making Chesapeake a better place to live and work, and has exemplified the rotary motto of “Service Above Self.”