Staff Writer
MAPLETON – Owen H. Smith is being remembered as a natural leader whose interests included agriculture, health care and education.
Smith, a fourth generation farmer, died April 28 at the age of 88.
Smith
In 1961, Smith was named Outstanding Farmer by the University of Maine. In 1962, he served on the Governor’s Potato Advisory Committee. During his career, he also served as president of the Young Farmers Association, chairman of the Farmers’ Home Administration County Committee, a member of the Grange and Farm Bureau, a member of the Maine Farm Bureau Association and president of the Maine Potato Council.
Smith was honored as Outstanding Conservation Farmer in 1970, and for several years he served as a director of Maine Potato Growers. After stepping away from the day-to-day farming operations, he worked with Larry Thibodeau to establish the agricultural consulting firm Agri-Consulting Services.
“Owen was a progressive farmer,” said Bob Davis, president of Maine Farmers Exchange. “He was always thinking of new ways to do things, not only on the farm, but in marketing … ‘Am I going to have to go to washing potatoes from putting them up dry?’ ‘Am I going to have to go to small packages … selling 5- and 10-pound bags rather than 50-pounds or in bulk?’ ‘What am I going to have to do to stay profitable?’
“He was right at the forefront of all that. It was highly unusual if Owen never asked you a question when he talked to you because he’d always want to know, ‘What do you think about the market?’ or ‘I’ve heard of this new variety. Have you heard anything about that?’” said Davis. “He was always seeking knowledge about how to do things a bit better and stay competitive in the market. He was always thinking, ‘How can I do more with less equipment?’ and was never afraid to invest in something that he thought would make him more efficient.”
Davis described Smith as a “lifelong learner.”
“He knew he did not know everything,” he said, “but his objective was to try to know as much as he possibly could. Owen was a big believer in education. He made sure that his kids and grandchildren furthered their education beyond high school. He felt that was their key to success whether they came back here to farm or went on and did other things.”
A Mapleton native, Smith served as a member of the Mapleton Board of Selectmen for 18 years. Former Town Manager Claudene Brown, who served the town in various capacities from 1952-1965, said Smith was very dedicated.
“He always had the best interest of the town in mind,” she said. “At the time, we were doing a lot in terms of school reorganization because the school had burned in 1956-57. He was very instrumental in the consolidation of Mapleton and Castle Hill schools, and in the formation of SAD 1.”
Brown remembers Smith as being “positively aggressive.”
“He was a good, dedicated selectman who worked hard for the town,” she said.
Smith also served on the A.R. Gould board of directors from 1965-1969, The Aroostook Medical Center board of directors from 1984-1995, and was chairman of the TAMC board from 1987-1989.
Dave Peterson, TAMC’s president and chief executive officer, was hired in 1987 when Smith was board chair.
“Owen was probably the best natural leader that I’ve ever had contact with. He was always in control,” said Peterson. “There was never a panic mode for Owen. He was very deliberate, but on the other hand, he was not patient with people who dragged their feet. There was a pace to things and he kept to it.”
Peterson said Smith had a “terrific grasp of the role of a board member.”
“Shortly after I took the job, one of the things he told me that stuck with me [as he was describing his view of the board and management] was, ‘You propose and we dispose,’” he said. “He had a great capacity for assembling the information and making the decisions that needed to be made based on the information that was given to him.
“Owen had a guiding hand. He was somebody that you could ask for advice and know that you were going to get straightforward advice. He had no hidden agenda,” Peterson said. “He would tell you what he was thinking, and if he disagreed with you, he would tell you that, too. If you were in agreement, he was a great guy to validate where you were headed. You always knew you were getting the straight scoop from Owen.”
Smith was, according to Peterson, very important to the formation of the hospital.
“He wasn’t out there looking for headlines, but was always forward-thinking and truly left his mark on this organization,” said Peterson. “He was a terrific friend to this hospital and will be greatly missed.”
Smith was also active in the Presque Isle Rotary Club and was named a Paul Harris Fellow in 1993, the Grant Memorial Methodist Church, St. John’s Episcopal Church, and was a charter member of R.O.M.E.O. (Retired Old Men Eating Out). He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Louisa (Whitten) Smith, three children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.