JEFFREY RANDALL SMITH

By Kristin Hampton

“Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve,” said President George W. Bush of the 9/11 tragedy.

Remember 9/11: Remember the friends and family members that we’ve lost as a nation. Remember 9/11: Remember Jeff Smith, a friend and JPT family member that we have lost.

Jeff was the All-American boy, freckled-faced and red headed, friendly and kind.

While we are saddened by his loss, we remember him for the many joys that he brought this world. He was devoted, a loyal friend, a good student, a husband, a father of two. He left behind a wife, Ellen, and two daughters, Margaret and Charlotte, the family that he loved and cherished and devoted his life to their well-being.

While at Taravella, he maintained a 4.2 GPA, membership in the National Honor Society, and participated in many sports and other school activities. He understood, however, that academics came first. After graduating from Taravella in 1983 he went on to University of Rochester where he continued to play football. He was an undergraduate for four years and received his MBA his 5 th year. He was 36 years old when he died, in the prime of his life. He lived it to the fullest though. He was a mortgage banker for a financial company. He was a leader and contributed much to help out the community.

He kept in touch with his friends from college and from high school, a faithful friend to those around him. At least once a year he and his friends would go to a Miami Hurricane’s game, because that was his favorite team.

Jeff possessed many good qualities and used them to help those less fortunate. His father recalled a time when Jeff was at Taravella and saw some kids picking on a smaller kid. Jeff stood up for him against the bullies. People respected Jeff and looked up to

him as a role model. Jeff played football, ran track, and wrestled and had many friends who respected him.

As humans and as Americans, we have a universal impulse to gather together so we can express our shock and grief as one. It has been six long years now, and we are here sitting together to honor this heartbreaking anniversary. We invite people of every faith and every culture to honor the memory of those who lost their lives on 9/11. We offer thoughts and prayers for the families, friends, and the loved ones of the victims, and we recognize those who were involved in the recovery and clean-up efforts at Ground Zero. We had many "heroes" that day that lost their lives.

After September 11, 2001, a suspicion lingered outside our collective front doors. We cannot fathom that something like the tragedy of 9/11 would happen here in the United States. Some folks say that things happen for a reason, but as for the 9/11 tragedy, reason has failed, logic was charred and crumpled with the Twin Towers, and our national innocence died that day, forever plowed into dust in the fields of Pennsylvania, plumed in the smoke of the Pentagon, and evaporated with the Towers that exist today only in our collective memories.

For those of us in the JPT family Jeff’s death is robbery. They say that childbirth is the worst pain a woman can feel. I don’t think so. I think losing a loved one is

an even greater pain because it eats away at your soul. For some of you sitting here, you

know what I’m talking about, you say to yourself that it wasn’t your fault and that you’re

not going to cry. But you can’t help but feel like you’re somewhat responsible for not

having stopped the violence, for not having saved the victims, and then the inevitable happens-you cry.

But out of this tragedy a phoenix has been reborn. We now find ourselves closer than ever to each other. We trust, love, and help each other whenever the need arises. If we need a cup of sugar then we go next door to the neighbors we’ve known for years. If we need a helping hand then we turn to our friends that have been there for better or worse. We support each other in our efforts to make this world a better place to live in, so that fear may not haunt us the next time we go to New York, and we may not be as hesitant the next time we get on a plane.

Ladies and gentlemen, let us remember forever what happened that day, 9/11. Let us remember those who died. But most of all, let us remember Jeff Smith for his contributions to his family, friends, and to our Alma Mater, J.P. Taravella High School, Coral Springs, Florida.