On a blustery Monday morning, March 16, dozens of Estes Valley residents gathered in Town Hall to honor the civic legacy of Kent Smith, and how his memory lives on through the good works of fellow do-gooders.
The Kent Smith Civic Engagement Award was conceived by Judi Smith and her family after Kent’s passing in 2025. Kent was a highly engaged member of the community, who brought a gentle and civil approach to all of his dealings. He had a great sense of humor and a long track record of interaction with Town affairs.
In introducing and presenting the award, Judi said, “When disaster strikes, the answer is to create a positive outcome establishing something of benefit – so – our family has created a traveling award for civic engagement. The annual recipient can be an individual, a family, a nonprofit, or a business who has a history of engagement beneficial to the Estes community. Gary Hall has kindly offered to co-ordinate the activity during his term as Mayor. After today, nomination for next year may be submitted to him. We hope future mayors will follow suit.”…