Dana Smith Retiring - Reception, Wednesday, May 12
All Are Welcome
Wednesday, May 12
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Greater Lafayette Commerce
337 Columbia St., Lafayette
Open House Honoring Dana Smith
A ready smile, strong handshake and unbridled enthusiasm for Greater Lafayette define Dana Smith’s long-time career as leader and champion for business and our community.
This May, after serving 18 years as president of the Chamber, now a council of Greater Lafayette Commerce, he’s retiring.
An open house in his honor will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12, at Greater Lafayette Commerce, 337 Columbia.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed it,” Smith says of his Chamber tenure. “It’s been marvelous to watch this community grow.”
Small Business, Community Advocate
Creating and furthering opportunities for local small businesses have been among his favorite activities, Smith says.
“About 85 percent of our members or more are small businesses, with 50 or fewer employees. Small businesses are what drive things, and I’d like to think we’ve made that our emphasis.”
He’s also appreciated the opportunity to be a spokesperson for the community. “You end up in that spot,” he says of one of the aspects of his post. “People call you for a quote, to get your sound bite.”
He’s been pleased, too, to participate in the annual Chamber trips to Washington D.C. “Our elected officials in Washington D.C. know us. It’s helped with Wabash River enhancement, the Hoosier Heartland highway and other projects. They do recognize us when we come in the door.”
A Long-time Hoosier
Hailing from Charleston, West Virginia, Smith was no stranger to the community before he arrived at Purdue in the early 1960s.
His mother, Virginia Callison, the daughter of a Monon Railroad worker, had been raised here and graduated from Jefferson High School in 1926, then went to college at Sweet Brier in Virginia. She returned often to visit her sister, bringing Dana.
“We visited all the time,” Smith recalls. “Purdue was the only school I applied to,” and he planned on studying engineering. “I hit that first physics class, and found out how wrong I was about that.”
He earned a degree in industrial economics in 1967, worked in banking in Indianapolis for 10 years, then took a banking job in Tippecanoe County. “I rented money,” he says of the financial years of his career.
Boilermaker Fan Forever
Through the years, his passion for Purdue has never waned.
He’s a member of the John Purdue Club, has served as president of the Purdue Alumni Association, and has missed fewer than 20 home football games since 1962.
Spending Retirement Years Here
He’ll start off retirement this summer with two trips with his wife, Maggie, an elementary school teacher. One will be to North and South Dakota and other western and southwestern spots. The second will be to an every-10-year family reunion in West Virginia, which promises to be a good crowd since Smith has 30 first cousins.
“We’re going to get in the car and go places we’ve never been,” Smith says. “We both came from families that didn’t do those kinds of things. Then next summer, we hope to go to the Grand Canyon.”
He’s also planning some time in the hammock, a gift from his grown daughters, Ginny and Kate, who both have earned master’s degrees and now live and work in the Washington D.C. area.
Smith also enjoys golf. Is he good? “It depends on who you’re playing with,” he says. For the last 33 years, he’s played tennis every winter with a group of four attorneys. And he likes cooking, especially on the grill.
He’ll continue in his volunteer posts on the Junior Achievement board and as president of the Tippecanoe Council on Aging board.
Another thing that won’t change is his commitment to this community. “I’m not leaving,” Smith says. “I have no desire to move away. I really enjoy this community. It’s the right size and has a great quality of life.”
