SPRINGFIELD - The Town of Springfield honored one of its most beloved residents - Jeanette Smith - this year at the Fourth of July Parade. Smith's service to the community has spanned nearly 70 years, and at the age of 89 she continues her involvement.

George Rutler, Fourth of July committee member for six years, chair for three and president of the Springfield Historical Society, said, "The committee unanimously agreed on Jeanette Smith. But she was very reluctant about becoming the Grand Marshall because she was worried about the judges. She always took care of securing the judges and explaining to them what to do. The committee finally convinced her."

Smith simply said, "I couldn't get out of it."

Smith was born on April 30, 1912, the fourth child of six, to Frank and Josephine Lawler Dibble in Richfield Springs. Her parents owned and operated F.N. Dibble Paint and Paper Store.

As a youth, Smith enjoyed being involved in school plays, singing, dancing, basketball and taking piano lessons. She graduated from Richfield High School on June 24, 1931. In September of that year she married Harland Smith and moved to Springfield Center, where she has lived ever since. She has a daughter, Barbara DiVincenzo, who now lives in Spencerport, N.Y., and a son, James Smith, who now lives in Averill Park. Her husband passed away in 1996.

Smith's Springfield community involvement includes: Fourth of July committee member since 1937 (with a break of five years for World War II); Springfield chairman for The American Red Cross during World War II; charter member of the Springfield Historical Society, 1954; charter member of the Springfield Fire Department Women's Auxiliary, 1957; helping found the Springfield Little League and the Springfield Cub Scouts, 1955; Springfield Town Clerk, 1951-1975; organist at the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Springfield Center, 1942-1998; Springfield Town Historian, 1975 to present. Most of her time these days is spent on the historical society.

"You must remember, that these things that I had done... I really couldn't have done it if I hadn't had my husband, who shared my desire to do things for Springfield," said Smith. "He did a lot of things too. I'm very serious about the part that Harland played. We were a team."

Harland Smith was a charter member of the Springfield Fire Department and served on the board of directors for years, and was also the Springfield Town Clerk until 1951 when he became postmaster. He enjoyed raising beagles, and developed a "very good strain" of beagles, according to Jeanette. Together they would think of ways to help improve the town.

Reed Spraker, another charter member of the historical society, was a long-time Springfield resident and now lives in Seattle, Wash. Spraker visits Springfield every summer for two weeks, and usually brings some old photos or memorabilia back with him to donate to the society.

"She's an outstanding person, she puts in a tremendous amount of time into the community," Spraker said. "She's spent more time on the historical society than anybody I know."

"She's been the backbone of the historical society. She reminds me of that Duracell commercial... she keeps going and going...," Rutler added. "When we told her we may lose a few members of the Fourth of July committee she said, 'I'd better stay then.'"

Janet Gray, resident of Springfield Center and member of the historical society along with husband Les, used to play with Smith's daughter, Barbara.

"Jeanette was a good neighbor and friends of my parents," Gray remembered. "They [the Smiths] moved next door to us on 'Polliwog Avenue' [Route 80 between Route 20 and Springfield Center] soon after they were married. I was 10 years old. She was a great mother, neighbor, friend, and has always been involved in the community."

Jane Doyle Prior, born in Springfield and still residing there, has known Smith her entire life. Prior has worked with Smith in the historical society, the women's auxiliary and the cub scouts and also used to play with Barbara Smith.

"Jeanette's done miraculous things for the community," Prior said. She's quite an asset... good to work with, very upbeat and very active in so many organizations. She's devoted a lot of her personal time to the community."

Smith doesn't see the reason for all the attention and praise.

"I prefer to be in the background... I don't want to take personal credit," Smith stated. "I like to give credit to the people who were involved with everything. You can't do it all alone. The credit just should go to all of those people who helped."

But credit should go to Jeanette Smith too, who stands out as a leader, and an inspiration to the entire town.