By Joe Thomas
Ledger Editor
Smith's legacy will live on at Jay schools
Long-time educator, basketball coach dies; funeral is set for 2 p.m, Saturday, March 18
March 16, 2023
File Photo by Joe Thomas
Coach Diamond, right, visits with Smith during gym dedication
"He taught so much to so many and asked so little in return" is how Lance Youngblood described John Clarence Smith who died Wednesday, March 8 in Jay.
Smith, 97, a 1944 graduate of Jay High School, spent 40 years as an educator in Santa Rosa County with 36 of those years as the head basketball coach at Jay High School.
Smith's basketball teams won 613 games and he was inducted into the Florida High School Athletic Associations' Hall of Fame in 1991.
On Jan. 27, 2022, family members, friends and former players gathered at the gymnasium at Jay High School for the official naming of the of the...
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