After decades as a physician, Dr. James Smith of AnMed Primary Care - Honea Path doesn’t get surprised easily, but Dr. Smith’s family, friends and teammates were able to pull it off earlier this month.
They were joined by community leaders like state Sen. Michael Gambrell, state House Rep. Jay West and Honea Path Mayor Christopher Burton at Dr. Smith’s office for a celebration of his retirement – and a career that has brought caring and help to the community.
They also brought something else.
Sen. Gambrell presented Dr. Smith with the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor. It recognizes a lifetime of extraordinary achievement, service and contributions as well as selfless giving and noble works of service for others.
Colleagues and friends who gathered said that sums up the career of Dr. Smith, a family practitioner whose patients refer to him with words like “compassionate,” “a talented, get-it-done practitioner,” and “helpful and knowledgeable.”
Dr. Smith humbly credited all those who surrounded him at the gathering as he reflected on his time in medicine.
“All of this started when I was 4 or 5 years old,” he said. “People would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I’d say I wanted to be a doctor and a fire chief.”
Much to the appreciation of generations of families in his care, he became exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up. Dr. Smith is also the chief of the Honea Path Fire Department.
In both fields, his philosophy is simple: “If I can help one person a day, I’ll take it.”
Help he has—but he isn’t done yet, despite retirement from medicine.
“Forty-two years just flew by. I don’t know where it went to—I guess I spent it right here working,” Dr. Smith said. “I’m just retiring. I’m not going away. I’m still going to be the fire chief a while longer and who knows what beyond.”