By Melanie Davis
Wanda Smith is a record keeper — not
only for the town of Boone, but for her family as well.
In January Wanda Smith
will have served 21 years with the Boone Police Department,
where she currently serves as communications and records
supervisor. Photo
by Mark Mitchell |
January marks Smith’s 21st year with
the Boone Police Department, where she currently serves
as communications and records supervisor.
Smith first began working in law enforcement with the Watauga
County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO), just before her 1978
graduation from Watauga High School. Her aunt worked in
dispatch at the time and her uncle was a deputy. Smith’s
father also worked with the WCSO, first with the canines,
then as a jailer.
She said they may have been some influence in her choice
of career; however, she says, “I am still waiting to
figure out what I want to be when I grow up.”
There is one topic Smith doesn’t take lightly –
her family.
Approximately 10 years ago, she began tracing her family
tree. “I have always been a family orientated person
and fascinated by where I came from,” Smith said.
“I got to know my great-grandmother,” she said.
“Not a lot of people have that opportunity and it sparked
my interest in genealogy.”
Over the last decade, Smith has traced her family all the
way to the second ship to land in Jamestown.
Oceans don’t stand in the way of her research. “I
am going as far back as possible,” she said.
Family members have been found in England, France and Germany.
The genealogy research will be a lifetime project for Smith.
“It’s a really enjoyable and challenging hobby,”
she said.
Smith has shared her findings at family reunions and maintains
a Web site to share her findings.
Upon retirement, Smith plans to travel to England for both
a visit and research purposes. “There are some difficulties
with name similarities or commonalities,” she said
of her family research.
She pointed out that limited census information is available,
however, there are other sources like church records.
Smith would know to check church records; she is an active
member of Oak Grove Baptist church. A 12-year member of
the church, she is active with the Ladies Friendship Circle,
a mission-oriented group. The members support missions within
the county and beyond. They gather donations for local nonprofits
that benefit the women of the High Country, such as OASIS
Inc. (Opposing Abuse with Services Information and Shelter).
They also contribute to other nonprofits.
The campaign currently under way within the Friendship Circle
is to gather 2,008 cans of food in 2008 for the Health and
Hunger Coalition.
Smith also travels twice per year for mission trips within
the United States. The trips, usually scheduled in March,
vary from visiting poverty stricken areas within North Carolina
and disaster relief missions to areas struck by hurricanes
or other natural disasters.
A group from the Oak Grove Baptist Church, including Smith,
visited Gulf Port, Miss., after Hurricane Katrina.
In July, Smith serves as a chaperone on the youth group’s
mission trip. For the last five years, the group has traveled
to Durham to work in low-income neighborhoods to help improve
living conditions.
The sweetest of Smith’s hobbies developed when her
sons were young. When her sons, both now grown, were children,
Smith took an interest in cake decorating. For this hobby,
she sought training completing a course at Caldwell Community
College and Technical Institute.
Although it isn’t a talent she advertises, Smith stays
very busy. She estimates she’s baking more than 300
cake mixes per year.
“It started out for my children and family,” Smith
said. “Now, it has grown to friends of family and beyond.”
Fortunately, she still enjoys it.
Smith shared the story of a “topsy-turvy” wedding
cake she recently created. The cake was sculpted with different
layers leaning in different directions. The cake was made
for a family friend, and Smith enjoyed the reactions at
the reception.
“It was fun to see the concern,” she said. “There
were a lot of guests who thought it was an accident, but
it was the cake she [bride] had requested.”
Throughout a conversation, a connection to Smith’s
Boone family can be felt.
As Smith discusses her job and the changes that have come
along in the communications, her greatest reward is knowing
the right people are sent at the right time to help community
members.
She adds that in a small area, dispatchers come to know
the responders, police, medics and firefighters.
Smith has built a church family through her 12-year membership,
still serving as a chaperone to the youth, though her own
children are grown.
Although tracing her family’s roots over hundreds of
years, she maintains close contact with her parents over
a few miles. Both still reside in Watauga County.
Smith may travel after retirement, but she plans to return
to Boone.
“When I take time to stop and look around, it brings
back just how beautiful it is here,” she said.
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