MIDDLEBURY — Perhaps you have seen him driving his Tiger Pride school bus with the large “M” on the front and “Tigers” on the back. Or perhaps you are one of the hundreds of people who drive by his Salisbury home each December to see his home and yard lavishly decorated with thousands of holiday lights and decorations. If so, you will understand why Wayne D. Smith has been named as this year’s inductee to the Middlebury High School/Middlebury Union High School Hall of Fame.
He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during this weekend’s MUHS Tiger Homecoming activities.
Wayne graduated from MUHS in 1966. He played football for three years, was part of Freshman Reception and Carnival, and was a very active member of FFA, holding many offices in that organization. His love for sports, especially football, continued throughout his life. He films the away freshman and junior varsity games and can be found in the tower at all the home games.
MUHS is the only school in Vermont that announces the freshman and JV games, and Wayne has been that voice of the Tigers for over 25 years. He can even be found on the field on Sundays, painting lines with the rest of the paint crew. Perhaps his proudest moment on the football field was in 2014, when he watched Middlebury win the state championship, with his son Dennis as coach and his grandson Sam as one of the players.
Wayne is one of the high school activity drivers; he drives many teams to their games, cheering the athletes when they win, and consoling them when they lose. He has been driving teams for over 25 years, especially the football, hockey and lacrosse teams. The students either enjoy the country music he always plays on the radio, or perhaps they turn on their iPods for a different kind of music!
Wayne has long been a very active member in his home community of Salisbury. He has been a selectman, a member of the Development Review Board and is currently the town moderator. He was a member of the Salisbury Fire Department, holding positions as treasurer and chief for over 20 years. He is also very involved in Addison County Field Days and was honored this year when the program book was dedicated to him.
For these accomplishments and more, Wayne Smith is a welcome addition to the MHS/MUHS Hall of Fame.