Jack Boaz Smith

Jack Boaz Smith passed away surrounded by his daughter, Tana Holloway, and his special friend, Ray Baird, on May 1, 2014. Born in Merkel (Taylor County), Texas on July 6, 1929, to Warren C. Smith and Lula Mae Boaz and was raised in Noodle, Texas close to the Boaz Ranch in West Texas. He is survived by his ex-wife Ruth Ann King; daughter Tana Martin Holloway of Morrisville, N. Carolina; and son, Saxon Scott Smith of Houston. Jack is also survived by 3 grandsons and 8 great-grandchildren. A member of the National Association of Social Workers, Jack was a licensed Master Social Worker who worked as a mental health professional in Houston, The Woodlands, Devine, Floresville, Eagle Pass and San Antonio with adults in both inpatient and outpatient settings, in group therapy, family and individual counseling. He excelled in taking psychosocial histories and creating treatment plans and developing aftercare projections. He trained as a Recreation Therapist working with adult psychiatric inpatients in Timber Lawn Psychiatric Hospital, Dallas, Texas, and received a Service Award in 1973, while Director of Impatient Activities Therapy and the Outpatient Day Treatment Program at the Regional Mental Health Center in Kokomo, Indiana. He received a BA in Business Administration from Texas A & M University in 1950, Kingsville; a BA in English from U.T. Austin in 1954; a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, in 1970; and a Master of Social Work (Clinical Tract) from Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana. Jack's earlier professional experience included working as a guest staff member in Northampton, England, sharing skills and expertise with the psychiatric geriatric population and most recently, as a mental health counselor at Hope Action Care, a residential facility for homeless individuals affected by HIV from 1998-2003. Jack put his fine arts degree to work in 48 plus theatrical productions beginning with the lead role in "Drums of Death," 1946, while attending the San Marcos Academy. Also, while at U.T. Austin, he studied under B. Iden Payne (Shakespeare), Lucy Barton (costume design) and James Moll (action) in the department of drama. At the Dallas Theater Center, he studied with Paul Baker. While at SMU, he studied directing under Burnet Hobgood and acting under Jack Clay. Jack liked to brag that he was a classmate of the actress Kathy ("Bobo") Bates and particularly liked to watch her at the movies. Jack's favorite acting roles were Brabantio in "Othello" at the Margo Jones Theatre, SMU, and Readymoney Matt in "Three Penny Opera," at the Bob Hope Theatre, SMU. His local productions included "Man of La Mancha;" "Fiddler on the Roof;" "Dedicated to the One I Love," Alamo Street Theatre; "Best Little Whorehouse," as the Senator at the Josephine Theatre and "The Importance of Being Ernest," as Algenon Moncrieff, Extended Run Players at the Steven Stoli Playhouse. Jack was a long time member of Speech Arts Association of San Antonio and Extended Run Players, University of Incarnate Word. Jack was also a member of St. Marks the Evangelist Catholic Church and a memorial service is pending. Those who knew and worked with Jack enjoyed his charisma, charm, humor, pasion and enchanting friendliness. He loved his family, co-workers, clients, fellow actors and his 3 cats, "Possum," "Tippy Gonzales," and "Tomboy." He has left a very big hole in the lives he touched and will be missed.