Jack Hurley Smith

Dear Jan and David; I am very sad to hear of the passing of your Dad. He was a legendary teacher at Poly, but he was more than that, he was a wonderful human being. My two sisters and I were home in Riverside this last weekend, and we were reminiscing about him as a teacher and about our times as neighbors. "Mr Smith" to us, he was always telling a joke, or saying something teasing and funny, but he and your Mom were always kind and welcoming around the neighborhood, and we knew he had our...

Mr. Smith was truly a gifted teacher, and an inspiration. He made history so fascinating, to the point that I majored in medieval studies. He made me realize that we are eyewitnesses to history as it unfolds. "Nothing is permanent but change..." A toast to you, Mr. Smith.
~Susan Katz Keating

Mr. (Snuffy) Smith. One of the most amazing teachers I ever had. He kept our attention on the subject matter by weaving in stories of his experiences as a WWII bomber pilot, as a cop in Colorado etc. I'll never forget the story of when he blew a hole through the top of his police cruiser with a shotgun. We paid attention, and we learned. There was a mutual respect between him and his students that was never matched by any teacher I ever had. He was a personal friend of my parents, so I...

If there were a Mt Rushmore for teachers, Jack Smith's image would forever be etched in stone

Mr. Smith was indeed an amazing teacher with the ability to interest students, like me, in ancient history. I loved attending his class! - Calle Casey Wieg - 1973

Mr Smith got me into reading Medieval History! He had a way to make that exciting. Great teacher. Blessings.

Mr. Smith was such an approachable teachers just to speak on the day's events. He was kind, jovial and with a good inner spirit. My condolences to his family & friends.

One of the best men ever. You will never be forgotten. Crumbled cookies in Heaven.

Mary Violasse

Mr. Smith was one of my favorite teachers at Poly. I remember him putting on movies of really random subjects and calling them "Lucky Strike Extras". What this had to do with Ancient History I will never know. It is because of him, I majored in history in college.