Cultivating kindness

Truman Smith adds color to school yard flower beds.

By Mark Bliss ~ Southeast Missourian

Truman Smith doesn't tiptoe through the tulips. He digs right in, weeding, mulching and planting flowers in the nearly 20 flower beds at Jefferson Elementary School.

Smith, 59, of Cape Girardeau retired four years ago from Southeast Missouri State University where he worked for 33 years, first as a history professor and then for his last 11 years as one of the school's groundskeepers. He also spent time as an assistant baseball coach for Southeast.

Since retiring, Smith has kept busy volunteering his time to build new flower beds in front of Jefferson School where his wife, Ruth, teaches first grade.

"My wife volunteered me," said Smith, who wears a perpetual grin beneath his worn "It's Tiger Time" baseball cap. There were several weed-filled flower beds in the school's courtyard when he started coming around the school two years ago. He quickly got to work cultivating those beds and building new ones.

He's planted a variety of flowers and even involved some of the students in planting tulips.

Today, visitors, students and teachers at the school are greeted by a rainbow of color from the carefully tended flower beds.

"All this beauty comes from him," said second grade teacher Joanie Skinner as she watched Smith plant vinca in one of the courtyard beds Tuesday morning.

Even a little rain couldn't keep Smith away from the flower beds. He brought along some flats of flowers to plant. Smith said he gets businesses to give him many of the flowers at little or no cost.

"I usually come about every other day," said Smith, who carries around gardening tools and supplies in his mini-van.

Smith tends to the gardens even over the summer. "The biggest thing in the summertime is you have to water," he said.

When he first started planting flowers, Smith said the beautification effort was greeted with skepticism. "People worried that the kids would tear it up," he said.

But that hasn't happened. The students love the flowers, from the irises to the tulips and everything in between.

"The kids are my heroes," said Smith who helped his wife's first graders plant tulip bulbs last fall.

"He wanted us to have fun," said first grader Emily Parker.

Sabrina Garmon, an 8-year-old second grader in Skinner's class, loves the flowers. "They are beautiful. They are like heaven," she said.

Classmate Chris Marsyla, 8, likes the flowers too. "They all smell really good," she said.

When he's not tending to the flower beds, he often can be found at Cape Girardeau Central High School's Tiger Field. He regularly drags the infield and marks the baselines, preparing the field for high school baseball games.

It's something he has done off and on since the 1970s.

Terry Kitchen, Central High School athletic director, said Smith is always willing to help. "When you give him a job, it is going to get done," he said.

"He is what you call a true unsung hero to this community and this school district," Kitchen said.

Smith keeps busy in the winter too, keeping the bird feeders full of seed at the Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. "About twice a week, I go out and fill the bird feeders," he said.

Veterans living at the home greet Smith when he stops by. "They say hi to me every time," he said.

Smith can't imagine spending his retirement sitting in a rocking chair. He likes keeping busy.

He feels it's important for him to volunteer his time to help others, particularly when it involves schools.

"I hate to think what this world would be like without volunteers to help out," he said.

No task is too small. Smith even picks up trash on the school grounds at times.

"There are a thousand things you can do around a school," he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123