Arthur C. Smith - Tennis, Softball, Running

Year Inducted: 1995

Arthur C. Smith was born in Port Huron on September 6, 1940. He began his tennis career at Washington Junior High School winning the City Junior High School Singles Championship in 1955. While at Port Huron H.S. he lettered in tennis all three years. From 1956 to 1959 Art won four straight City Recreation Boys Singles Championships at Albion College and was Team Captain and Most Valuable in his Senior Year in 1962.

Art has the distinction of having played in every Robinson Tennis Tournament since its inception in 1958, and has won singles championships in five different divisions: 18 & Under 1959, Men’s Open 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, Men’s 35 & Over 1975, Men’s 45 & Over 1990, and Men’s 55 & Over 1995. He also has won numerous doubles championships including the Men’s Open Doubles five times and the Mixed Open Doubles Twice. He was the Tournament Director three years and recipient of the Robinson Sportsmanship Award in 1966.

He was Sarnia Tennis Club Men’s Singles Champion in 1968 and 1969, and Sarnia and District Men’s Singles Champion in 1964 and 1967. While in Texas in 1990, Art was a member of the Corpus Christi 3. team that won the Texas Sectionals and finished 3rd in the USTA National Championships.

Other sports achievements include being a charter member of the Port Huron Little League in the early 1950’s, and Kiwanis Free Throw Tournament Open Champion in 1958. He played softball for Brass Rail in the Port Huron Slo Ball League for many years receiving the league’s MVP award in 1977.

Art has been a runner since 1978 logging over 36,000 miles and running 18 marathons including five Boston Marathons, New York, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Detroit and the Scotty Hanton Port Huron Marathons with a personal best of 2:47:37 in the 1983 Detroit Free Press Marathon. Other personal best times include 25 km 1:33:30, half marathon 1:18:41, 20 km 1:16:23, 10 miles 58:40 and 10 km 35:30.


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