Remarkable. Inspirational. Courageous. Such descriptors have become almost clicheish these days, meaning they are very often applied to good, solid people, rather than being reserved for the truly extraordinary.

But as Father’s Day approaches, I have chosen to write about a man I’ve come to love who deserves such accolades and then some. No, he’s not my father. However, he’s a man who has been like a father to me and so many others over the years. His name is Billy Harold Smith.

Claudia (my spouse) and I first met Billy Harold and his lovely wife, Joyce, some 10 years ago when we relocated to the Meridian area and joined Collinsville United Methodist Church. The Smiths are a wonderful couple who gravitated to one another back in elementary school and have been pretty much inseparable ever since. They are the consummate made-for-each-other American love story.

One reason I first became enamored with Billy Harold – a talented artist, by the way – was that I learned he had coached the Meridian Community College baseball team for about 10 years. I really love sports, so it was natural for me to want to rub shoulders with Billy Harold. Later, I discovered he had previously coached a state championship girls’ basketball team at Southeast Lauderdale High School.

Now, when Billy Harold coached at MCC – Meridian Junior College back then – things were a lot different. His annual (and darned-near impossible) task was to try to field a competitive team while being restricted by conference rules to a one-county recruiting district shared with another community college (EMCC). There wasn’t much of a budget for Eagle athletics at that time, and, on top of it all, Billy Harold taught a full load of science classes in addition to coaching. It was not uncommon for Coach Smith to drive a busload of Eagles up to the Delta to play a baseball game on a Monday evening, and then be back in class Tuesday morning at eight o’clock to teach a science lab.

Truth be known, if you presented a college coach with a schedule like that these days, some would think you were out of your ever-lovin’ tree. But that was the way of things in that era.

No, the Eagles didn’t sport a national reputation for JUCO baseball back then. But Billy Harold was without question one of the pioneers who laid the foundation for the excellence that has evolved into MCC baseball. He was and is a man of impeccable character, instilling Christian values in the young men who played for him.

After departing MCC, Billy Harold became principal of the West Lauderdale Attendance Center, where his positive influence on teachers and students continued.

Billy Harold always worked hard, and he paid a dear price for that dedication. He developed a bad ticker that ended his coaching career and ultimately caused him to undergo heart transplant surgery. Surviving such a traumatic procedure was just the first step. Next, Billy Harold had to endure drug therapy to prevent organ rejection. Through it all, he demonstrated a brand of courage with which few are familiar.

Twice in his life, Billy Harold has “gone to sleep,” as he puts it. That’s a nice way of saying that his heart stopped. The first time it happened Billy Harold was only 44. He doesn’t talk about it much, but he relates experiencing the start of a peaceful journey, only to be drawn back to a place to which he really didn’t want to return. Selfishly, I must say that I’m glad God had a few more things for Billy Harold to do on this earth.

Yes, Billy Harold knows what it is to have an aching heart – in more ways than one. Billy Harold and Joyce lost a beloved son, Kim, in a tragic accident some years ago, and it was only their faith in God and one another that pulled them through the experience.

One of the most inspiring stories I’ve heard Billy Harold tell was about his drifting away from church for a while after the untimely passing of his son, trying to reconcile why bad things happen to good people. Then one evening the family dog couldn’t be found, and Billy Harold went out looking for him. He discovered the dog resting on the steps of the church. Billy Harold took that as a kind of message from his God. I don’t mind admitting that story brought tears to my eyes.

It has been a real blessing in my life to sit with Billy Harold in Sunday School, watching him highlight his well-worn Bible as scriptures are discussed. He’s the kind of man who doesn’t talk until he’s got something to say. But, believe me, he’s the E.F. Hutton of our class, meaning when he does speak, everybody listens. That’s because Billy Harold is one of the most insightful individuals many of us have ever encountered. I would call him sagely, as a matter of fact.

I’m about a thousand miles removed from my own Dad, who resides in South Florida. Last year when he turned 80, I wrote my father a song for his birthday entitled, “I Wish All Kids Could Have a Dad Like You.”

That’s kind of how I feel about Billy Harold. I wish everyone could have a Dad like him, a coach like him, a school principal like him, a mentor like him, and a friend like him. Thank you, Billy Harold, for providing me with a glimpse of the kind of man I wish I could be.