Smitty and 'the Elderly'

I don't remember how I first met my Glenwood-area neighbor, who told me to call him Smitty.

F. Irwin Smith lived around the corner, and shortly after meeting him I began to suspect that the nickname was derived less from his last name than from the fact that everyone who met him was quickly smitten by his wit and humor.  

Smitty was a widower in his mid-70s when we moved here, and although I was almost 50 years younger than he was, I had a hard time keeping up with him. I remember him telling me that he knew the Alps better than he did Short Hills - and I don't doubt that for a moment. He hiked all over the world and his Christmas letters and typed "mental meanderings" were filed with wonderful vignettes of life in those far off places, such as this one from 1972:

"Early October 1972 from Polikastron, Greece -- I drove about 150 miles from Athens to this small village on the Yugoslav border and stopped for the night. After dinner I walked about the streets and stopped at a grocery store. When the proprietor learned that I spoke English he summoned his 14-year old daughter who was studying English in school. It would be an opportunity for her to practice her English. Her younger brother came, too, and soon we were joined by a 16-year old girl and her brother (word was getting around). Then we all walked around the store looking at things on the shelves and learning the names of them in English. Of course, some of items had the English names on them as well as the Greek names, so that made things easier for us. We looked at fish, cheese, ham, butter, soup, soap (they had difficulty remembering which was soup and which was soap), matches, pickles, paper towels, beans, peanuts, almonds, and dozens of other things. Of course, the parents who owned the store sometimes joined us and sometimes other customers, too. Finally I tore myself away and stopped at the fruit store next door, but before I could buy an apple the four children were with me again and we started another English lesson on fruits and vegetables. As it turned out, the two girls and their brothers were first cousins and the two stores were owned by two brothers who were these children's fathers. It was a big night in Polikastron."

Another of my memories of Smitty was of his reaction to being offered senior citizen discounts. He said he was perfectly capable of paying full price and did not need a discount because of his age. Among the papers he copied and gave me is a related 1981 letter he sent to then-President Ronald Reagan:

"Dear Mr. Reagan,

I listened to your recent speeches with much interest. I approve your plans for solving our country's problems and I will gladly make a sacrifice to bring an end to inflation. I will not even be concerned about the sacrifice my neighbor may or may not make.

Early in your speech before congress you used two words which I must question. You said (as quoted in the New York Times) 'Those who through no fault of their own must depend on the rest of us, the poverty-stricken, the disabled, the elderly, all those with true need, can rest assured that the safety net of programs they depend on are exempt from any cuts.'

Mr. Reagan, why did you include "the elderly" as a category among those groups which "must depend on the rest of us?" Surely the poverty-stricken and the disabled are people of all ages, so why do we need a category labeled "the elderly"? Why can't the old, like others who are neither poverty-stricken, nor disabled, nor in true need, be considered society's assets rather than its liabilities? You, yourself, are a perfect example of my point. Not long ago some people contended that you were too old to be president of the United States. Fortunately the public didn't agree. I congratulate you on reaching a new milestone.

In your years as president I hope that you will attempt to dispel the idea that tears should be shed for and special benefits extended to those who are "elderly." You may find that they would like to make sacrifices rather than "depend on the rest of us." Try it.

Most sincerely yours,

F. Irwin Smith

Age 76"

I never thought of Smitty as "the elderly," but old age eventually overwhelmed him, and he moved across the country to be with his daughters in the waning days of his life. I was invited to the sale of much of the contents of his home and taped to the wall next to the telephone in his house I found:

"THOUGHTS AT EIGHTY

to watch the sun rise and set

to behold season follow season over the green earth

to seek out the meaning of forest and mountain

to warm both hands before the fire of life

and not to shudder too much when the flame sinks."

With the permission of his family, I would like to add Smitty's papers to the historical society's collection, in order that many more visitors can enjoy the warmth of the fire that burned inside Smitty.