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By BARBARA OEHLBECK

The Patrick and Iris Smith Family is unusual from several standpoints, one being that they are one of the few couples now celebrating their sixtieth wedding anniversary.

It was in August of 1948 when Patrick Smith and Iris Doty became Mr. and Mrs. This was in Oxford, Miss., where they lived until 1966 when they moved to Merritt Island, Florida. According to family, theirs was a sweet, brief courtship. Purely a case of he knew and she knew, they were for each other.

Children came along in due time, a daughter, Jane, and son Patrick Smith, Jr. And again in due time, grandchildren....Danny, Kimberly, Joshua, Alex, and Matthew.

Patrick Smith’s writing career began in Mississippi, the setting of his first two books. As it happened, this young student wrote The River Is Home as an assignment. His professor was so taken with it that he submitted it to Little Brown Publishers, it was accepted, and the rest is literary history. At that time Patrick Smith was 21 years old. The Beginning followed in 1967, and a second edition followed in 1998.

In the introduction to The Beginning the author wrote (in part): "Much has changed in the South and the nation since those turbulent times, but much change is yet to come—especially in the heart of the people, both white and black. Perhaps enough time has now passed so that readers can view The Beginning as what it was intended to be: a look into a changing South where even issues of relations between races were not simply black and white but as complex as the motivations within the human heart." (Unfortunately, The Beginning is now out-of-print.)

In due time others followed including Forever Island, Angel City, Allapattah, A Land Remembered, The Last Ride, The Seas That Mourn, In Search of the Russian Bear, and his latest, a small volume titled A White Deer.

A Land Remembered is the most sought after and popular book in Florida. As a result of his many literary achievements, Mr. Smith was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, the highest and most prestigious cultural honor that can be bestowed upon an individual by the State of Florida. In May 2002, he was the recipient of the Florida Historical Society’s Fay Schweim Award as the “Greatest Living Floridian.” This one-time-only award was established to honor the one individual who has contributed the most to Florida in recent history. Smith was cited for the impact his novels have made on Floridians, both natives and newcomers, and for the worldwide acclaim he has received.

Patrick Smith has been nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize, in 1973 for Forever Island which was a selection of the Reader’s Digest Condensed Book Club and published in 48 countries. In 1978 Angel City was produced as a Movie of the Week for CBS-TV network and aired worldwide. And there’ve been other prestigious honors. A Land Remembered was ranked #1 Best Florida Book and has held that honor every year since. Smith’s lifetime work was nominated for the 1985 Nobel Prize for Literature and has since received five additional nominations.

In 1990, Patrick received the University of Mississippi’s Distinguished Alumni Award and was inducted into the University’s Alumni Hall of Fame.

Patrick Smith’s Florida: A Sense Of Place is a ‘must see’ (DVD 58 minutes) for all Floridians says Marilyn Hoffman, Community Relations Director/Orange County Library System/Retired. This is a journey to meet the people and live the experiences that are reflected in his books, many of which are now modern-day classics. It introduces both a time and state of mind that existed before many of today’s residents were born. For those who know the earlier Florida, it will be a nostalgic trip back in time, instilling an appreciation for the hearty pioneers who settled here.

A Sense Of Place was produced by Patrick’s son, Rick, Jr., who used his experience as an award-winning filmmaker to capture and illustrate his father’s message in a clear and simple way that will appeal to all ages.

The music, art, photos and production itself are superb, a “classic” in its own right. In addition, the causeway linking Merritt Island to Cocoa Beach was recently named The Patrick D. Smith Causeway.

And, Florida Heritage Book Festival will stage an evening honoring Florida’s Literary Legends on Saturday, August 16 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the St. Johns County Convention Center, 500 South Legacy Trail, in St. Augustine. The public is invited to join in for an evening of dancing and music in a tribute honoring Florida’s literary icons and heroes. Specially honored will be Jack Hunter, Stetson Kennedy and Patrick Smith. Special guest speaker will be the Honorable Kurt Browning, Florida Secretary of State. Patrick Smith, Jr. will be accepting the award for his father. He will also show a short segment of the award-winning film Patrick Smith’s Florida: A Sense Of Place. For pricing and reservation details call 904-940-0194 or visit website fhbookfest.com. Supporting this special event will be the St. Johns County Friends of the Library and the St. Augustine Record Newspaper in Education Program (NIE).