Ford and Sharon Ellis Smith celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary on December 3, 2020. Sharon and Ford met on the old yellow school bus. These two native Houstonians attended Lanier Junior High, Lamar Senior High and the University of Houston together. They have been blessed with two sons, Steven L. Smith and wife Laura and Craig A. Smith and wife Stacey. They have five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Ford had a very successful printing career of 45 years in Houston, Austin, Dallas and San Antonio. Sharon spent many years working with nonprofits in Tomball, Austin, and Kerrville. She enjoyed over 25 years with the Hill Country Arts Foundation as a Board Member and performing on stage at the Point Theater in Ingram. They have lived in Riverhill for 26 years and have enjoyed their circle of friends from church, golf, and their neighborhood.
Ford shared with the Alumni Office that he was a night student for the most part. He worked during the day and went to UH in the evening. He enrolled in ’59, changed his major a couple of times, and ended up graduating with a BS in Education (HPE), Class of ‘65 with plans to coach athletics. In the mean-time he and Sharon had two children , so he worked several jobs during college – spending most of his working day at Cameron Iron Works in Houston. He was in the Cameron management program and worked in the Cameron oilfield sales department. Ford felt fortunate that the management at Cameron allowed him to work in addition to his class schedule and student teaching to complete his education. “It was a long haul, but I had a lot of help on the way. Paid my tuition as I worked, therefore once I graduated I was debt free.” Ford is a UHAA Life Member and proud Cougar!
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