Tribute to Sandy Smith
LWV-Princeton Area Anuual Meeting, June 15, 2021
Ten years ago, in 2011, our League had just lost a dynamic leader and was operating as a Committee of the Whole or COW. It was a low time. That October, Sandy Smith stopped at our voter registration table in Hinds Plaza, asked about the League, and joined immediately. By the following June she was organizing the Annual Meeting and had drafted its agenda. She had also written a “History of the Right to Vote,” and was planning to speak to West Windsor-Plainsboro North’s Advanced Placement history classes.
In October 2012, a year after joining, Sandy, along with Lee Forbes, planned the celebration of our League’s 80th Anniversary, featuring a portrayal of Alice Paul. She also appeared on The Reed and Ponder Show on Princeton Community TV.
After attending Membership and Leadership Development Training in 2013, Sandy drafted the organizational structure that became the Leadership Committee we still use. She and Lee were the Convener/Spokespersons. Sandy’s enthusiasm for promoting the League resulted in our winning the Communications Award at LWVNJ convention that year. Our events for 2013-14 included Women’s Equality Day, Stand Against Racism, Community Night Out, Communiversity, and numerous voter registrations.
Sandy stepped down from her role as Spokesperson in June 2015 but continued registering voters, covered West Windsor and Plainsboro for VOTE411 in its first year, and gave speeches to groups like Women in Retirement. In 2018, she created our Speakers Bureau and spoke at Homefront.
Although Sandy had long protested that she couldn’t take on more responsibility, she agreed in 2017, just two years after stepping down, to run just one of our business meetings. Of course she was still in charge of all voter registrations, still covering races for VOTE411, and still giving speeches. But by the following year she was again, with Lee, an official Convener/Spokesperson. Armed with her notebook containing everything about theLeague, she has continued in that role, with Jennifer Howard, until today.
Perhaps joining the Lawrence League, where she lives, is the only way to get a break.
Sandy has been a dedicated, imaginative, positive, and super-organized leader. The League thanks her for ten wonderful years.