Mr. Jim Pridgen and Ms. Evelyn Smith

The H. Don Smith-Canal Wood Corporation Endowed Scholarship was established in 1991 by Jim Pridgen of Canal Wood Corporation. The endowment was established to provide scholarships to a junior in Forestry, minoring in or taking courses in business, economics and statistics.

Dr. Smith served in the U.S. Marine Corps and received an undergraduate degree in Forestry and a Ph.D. in Forestry and Economics from North Carolina State University. During his career he was employed by NC State University where he worked with Dr. Bruce Zobel in establishing a co-op that produced genetically superior pine trees, which are today known as Super pines by the Forest industry; N.C. Forest service; Potlatch Corp. of Lewiston, Idaho, as the chief forest economist in charge of the United States’ largest forest harvesting operation; and from 1980 – 1991 was the Vice-President and Operations Manager for Canal Wood Corporation of Lumberton, N.C. where he originated any new forestry programs. Dr. Smith won many honors, not the least of which was the North Carolina and national H. H. Jefferson Memorial Safety award for outstanding achievement in developing safety in the logging woods. He was an adjunct Professor with N.C. State University, a much sought-after speaker on all phases of economics and active in many professional activities.

Dr. Smith passed in 1991 from ALS (lou Gehrig’s disease).