Smith was a veteran of WWII. He joined the Army in 1943 and fought in the battle of Lyte Gulf, the largest battle of WWII, which took place in the Philippines. Following the war, he assisted in the Occupation Army in Hiroshima.
When Smith returned from his service, he joined the Pacific Phone and Telegraph Company, then purchased the Sierra City Waterworks. From 1950 on, he was an active member of Harmony Lodge, serving as twice as master, as well as a number of years as secretary and later, as chaplain. In 1990, he received the Hiram Award for his years of dedication.
He was also a driving force in his community, engaging in a number of projects to benefit those around him. He was well known for building a beautiful outdoor gazebo with a copper roof and for installing a public drinking fountain. He believed that Sierra City’s early Chinese immigrants were underappreciated for their efforts in building the town, and commissioned a bronze plaque to commemorate their efforts. He traveled to China to obtain a hand-engraved brick to place above the plaque, which is posted at the Kentucky Mine and Museum.
Yet among Smith many gifts, one in particular stood out to current Harmony Lodge Master Jerry Brzyscz. In the center of downtown Sierra City, there is a historic bell tower. It is an A-frame structure with two timbers holding a bell at the top; at the bottom of the timbers are concrete pillars. On one of those pillars, Smith had inserted a gold memorial star to honor one of his friends – another longtime Sierra City community member.
“I first met C.K. when he affiliated with the lodge, and the more I got to know him the better I liked him,” Brzyscz says. “Over the years I found out a lot of different things that he had done for the community and for his friends and I had a lot of respect for him. When he passed, I wanted to remember him for everything he had done for us.”
Brzyscz found the perfect way to do so. He reached out to Smith’ widow, Winabeth, to inquire about where Smith had obtained the memorial star for his friend, and had an identical one commissioned to honor Smith himself. The star was installed on the second pillar.
On May 26 the memorial star was officially dedicated at a Masonic ceremony that included 12 of the lodge’s 19 members; Grand Master Perry and his and son, Nick; and Past Grand Master John L. Cooper III. Nearly 70 friends and family members from the Sierra City community were also present to recognize Smith.
“Everyone was intent on listening to the grand master speak,” Brzyscz says. “And everyone was proud to remember C.K.”
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