DERBY, Vt. (WCAX) – A former Vermont man was recently recognized for his years of service– more than two decades late.

“Good things happen late in life, too, you know?” Wise words from 97-year-old Kermit Smith, talking to his son Brian virtually on Monday.

The elder Smith lives in Ohio now, but was born and raised in Vermont, spending much of his life in the Northeast Kingdom.

Through the years, Smith wore many hats, from serving in Montpelier in the House, the Senate and as sergeant-at-arms to Little League baseball coach.

“You can’t criticize the youngster because he won’t want to play if you criticize him,” he said. “So you build them up.”

On top of everything, including being a dad to four sons, Smith was a Lion, joining the Derby Lions Club in 1957.

“That was the purpose of the Lions Club– to remember people less fortunate than you are and to help them,” he said.

The Derby Lions Club used to meet in a room at the town offices. But since the club shuttered everything in, the room was left untouched for nearly a decade, until recently, when Smith’s son, Brian, a Derby Selectboard member, was in the room looking around through old boxes. What he discovered in one of them left him speechless.

“I looked at it and it was dated 2003 from the International Lions Club. It was obviously a box that had a plaque in it, so I took the plaque out, and it was the Melvin Jones Fellow Award, and my dad’s name was on it,” Brian Smith said.

It’s not just any award. It’s the highest honor any Lions Club member can receive. It’s named after the organization’s founder, Melvin Jones.

“Their recognition of doing some outside the box, doing a little more than the norm of community service, overall service,” said Mark Collette, the president of the Orleans Lions Club.

Brian’s dad never received the plaque or even knew it had been awarded to him. So, Brian made arrangements for the award to be presented to his dad in Ohio.

“To get this award is the most wonderful thing that probably ever happened to me. No better service in the world than helping other people,” Kermit Smith said.

No one is quite sure how the award was overlooked all of these years. Kermit’s just glad he lived long enough to receive it. And he hopes everyone, no matter how old, will do what they can to make a difference.

“You’ve got to look out for other people around you, and learn to love other people. That’s the thing that makes the world go ‘round… And I’m willing to keep it turning if I can,” he said.

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