From the Corps to the zoo

When George Smith first came to Costa Mesa, after a 10-year stint

with the Marines, including a tour of Vietnam, he started working at

an Orange County dump, but also took trigonometry classes so he could

become an engineer tech. That interest in technology continues to

serve the retired Orange County employee as he helps his wife these

days with her at-home, online auction business. Smith loves animals,

too, so he asked Orange County Zoo Director Forrest de Spain if he

could run the gift shop there. The director was happy to have the

help and Smith has been volunteering there every weekend for the past

two years. Smith, 63, recently sat down with the Pilot’s Luis Pena to

reminisce.

Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Springfield, Ill. I was born in 1940 and

I left in 1958 after I graduated and I joined the Marine Corps. I was

in a typical (Roman) Catholic neighborhood where families stayed

together and protected each other throughout the neighborhoods. I had

six sisters and we had enough kids that we actually had our own

baseball team from the neighborhood.

What kind of childhood did you have?

I had a very happy childhood. We were probably considered poor,

although we really didn’t even know it. I had my own paper route when

I was probably 13. Then I went from there and worked at a service

station when I was old enough to get a work permit, which I think was

(when I was) 15. So I worked and went to high school. Back in those

days it was quite interesting because my father was one of the first

people to get color TV. And in the summer time he used to bring it

into the kitchen and put in the window and then all the neighbors

they’d come and we’d all sit together and watch TV.

How did you end up in Newport-Mesa?

When I met my wife in 1969, her folks lived here in Costa Mesa on

Costa Mesa Street. They were here when they owned the house property

all the way to the middle of the street. And in the city you had to

give it up to get a road and stuff like that. I was going with her we

loved the area because you’re so close to the beach yet so close to

everything else. When we got married we first rented an apartment in

1972. We rented an apartment on Orange Street and we were there less

than a year. We were very fortunate to buy the house we’re now in

here. We bought it and paid $30,000 for it. The house across the

street just sold for $500,000. So we just love the area.

What are your greatest accomplishments in life?

Well, my greatest to me is meeting my wife. And the reason is that

she completely turned me around. I was a Marine staff sergeant. I was

in charge of many people throughout that period of time. And to come

back out and to be put down because I am a Vietnam-era Marine who

served my time (and) was spit upon, I picked up a negative attitude

and unfortunately it stayed with me for a long time and caused many

problems for me. She showed me the benefits of saving money, working

together as a team. She supports me completely and I complete her

completely.

If you could re-do one moment or incident in your life, what would

it be?

One of the things that I regret the most is that even though I

have six sisters we split over minor things and I miss my family, my

sisters. I lost three to cancer. If I could relive one part of my

life it would be to stay close to them and their families. I have two

in Illinois now and one somewhere, I’m not even sure, here in

California. We don’t even talk. It’s terrible.

What profession other than yours would you like to have tried?

I’d love to have been one of two things. College basketball is my

favorite sport. I’d rather be a coach. Because I did coach a lot of

baseball teams here locally. Honestly, I would have loved to have

been a basketball coach or a commentator for any sport. I love

sports.

What are some differences between a typical day in your life now

versus a day in your life 20 years ago?

Twenty years ago I used to get up at 5 a.m. and go to work for the

county. My beginning job was out at the dump. Getting in at the back

of a trailer with a wooden scrape bar and pushing trash out. It

wasn’t fun but it paid well and it gave me an opportunity to have a

solid job with good benefits. I moved up the chain of command and it

became a better job. Now I am a retired county employee. I still get

up at 6 a.m. primarily because of medical problems and I do what I

want to do.

What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned in your life?

Think before you act. I’m an Irish Englishman who used to box in

the Marine Corps, and I learned to use my brain before my hands. My

father-in-law told me a great statement when I was hired with the

county: You can’t eat pride.

What do you treasure most?

I treasure my wife the most and a family who has accepted me,

meaning her father who is still alive, who is 88 and will be 89 in

June. And her two brothers and their families.

What would you like people to always remember about you?

Don’t ask questions if you don’t want the answer. I’ve been told

that in interviews when I went in for promotions. They would ask me

what my best asset was and I would say my mouth. And they’d say

what’s your worst deficit and I’d say my mouth.

What was one of the best of the unexpected things that happened in

your life?

When I came out of the Marine Corps and was settling into civilian

life per se. . I had about $110 in my pocket and shared an apartment

with a roommate and had no prospects for a real job. I wanted to be a

cop, to be honest, but my eyes prevented me from doing that even

though I could serve in the service. So then I had to regroup and I

actually became a clerk in South Coast Plaza. Now I have completed a

career with the County of Orange. I own a home with my wife. We both

have our own cars. We have a little black schnauzer dog and we have a

very happy and compatible life.