'Citizen Of The Year' Shares Success With Others

  

Jan. 26 - KGO (KGO) -- The telecommunications business has come a long way since the day of the rotary dial telephone. Phone companies have merged, changed names and fought for survival in a whole new landscape. An East Bay man emerged as an industry leader, and when he found success himself, he shared it with others.

Chuck Smith is retiring at the top of his game, president and CEO of AT&T's western region. Chuck started his career as a telephone installer climbing poles. Over four decades, he rose to the highest level of the business.

Chuck's tremendous success began in an unlikely place. He grew up in South Central Los Angeles. A good boy in a bad circumstance. Chuck had a learning disability and a teacher who told him he would never amount to anything.

Chuck Smith: "Frankly, I was out there, I was out there on the prowl, to get into trouble, running around with the wrong people."

But everything changed when Chuck met a Boy Scout master named Bud Peterson.

Chuck Smith: "This man was positive. He told me, 'I believe in you, I believe in what you can do, and if you want to do it, you have the capability and the intellect to do it.'"

Chuck worked hard to compensate for his learning disabilities. He became an Eagle Scout and went to college.

Co-workers say he was destined to be a leader.

Robin MacGillivray, AT&T Senior Vice President: "Something in Chuck is so approachable, is so magical, is so helpful, that you can't help but want to be guided by him and nurtured by him and coached by him."

Chuck has presided over good times and bad in the telecom industry. He's seen it through deregulation, staff cutbacks, natural disasters, even renaming the Giants' baseball stadium -- twice. Chuck makes no apologies for that one. He drives around town with the new park name on his license plate.

Over the years, Chuck's prided himself on being a mentor to employees at all levels of the company.

Chuck Smith: "Nothing like having lunch with the chef."

And he has certainly not forgotten the community that has given him so much.

Chuck Smith: "This is a great country and great things are gonna happen out of the young people that we have, but we gotta help them."

Chuck is on the board of directors of more than a dozen non-profits, giving time and money to a huge range of causes. Bay Area Boy Scouts is one of his favorite groups and he's convinced others to contribute too.

Frank Yoke, Bay Area Boy Scout Council: "Mr. Smith is one of those people that if he asks you to do something, you want to do it."

Chuck is also a mentor to low-income high school students through a program called Achieve. One of his proteges is Bert Gabriel, now a freshman at University of San Francisco.

Bert Gabriel, USF Freshman: "He was like the big brother I never had. You know, he was always there if I needed help. Anything regarding university, anything regarding high school, anything I needed, to talk to somebody, he pointed me in the right direction."

Chuck brought in top sports celebrities to inspire students in the Achieve program.

Chuck Smith: "They were talking to them about life, not about sports, not about being a championship athlete, but about being a good human being."

Throughout his career, Chuck started his day at 4:30 in the morning. Late night meetings were a way of life.

Chuck Smith: "Busy people get things done."

He says his secret to success is family. His wife, Beryl, passed away last year. The couple always shared a passion for community work.

Chuck Smith: "It's good to help people. I get excited by that. It gives me health. It gives me strength."

Now that Chuck is retiring, he may relax a little. But public service will still be a priority.

Chuck Smith: "I've got the income, I've got the comfort level, now I've got the time."

So we salute Chuck Smith, the East Bay Leadership Foundation's "Citizen of the Year." He'll be honored at a banquet tomorrow night which Dan Ashley will emcee. To learn more about the East Bay Leadership Foundation, visit www.eblf.org.

Written and produced by Jennifer Olney.

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