Randolph Relihan Smith, son of Maxine Relihan and Lester Vernon Smith, was born on April 13, 1944, in Augusta. He received his early education in the public schools of Augusta, including the Academy of Richmond County, where he was a member of the "Gold R" Society. At Richmond, he played football for the legendary Coach Frank Inman and earned a scholarship to play for Hall of Fame Coach Frank Howard at Clemson University. While playing center for the Tigers, he was drafted by the New York Jets of the old American Football League and the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League.

 

Instead of professional football, Smith went to medical school, graduating from the Medical College of Georgia in 1970. He served an internship in internal medicine at Wake Forest University, residencies in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Duke University, and Plastic Surgery at the Medical College of Georgia. He was a Christine Kleinert fellow in Hand Surgery at the University of Louisville (Ky.). Dr. Smith served as a major in the Medical Corps of the United States Army Reserves from 1971-78. He is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of many professional societies.

 

On January 1, 1978, Dr. Smith began practicing plastic surgery at University Hospital and served as President of the medical staff in 1993. He was then elected Chairman of the Board of University Health, Inc., the hospital's governing board, and has served in that capacity for many years. During his tenure, the university has expanded to Columbia and McDuffie Counties. Under his leadership, the hospital successfully restructured its retirement and asset investment programs as well as formed its own insurance company, Walton Way Indemnity, SPC, in 2002, based in the Cayman Islands. Additionally, he, Wyck Knox and their wives co-chaired the fund-raising campaign for building the University Heart and Vascular Center in 2005, raising the largest amount of money for this type of endeavor outside of Atlanta, according to their investment bankers.

 

Despite his heavy workload at University Hospital, he has found time to serve the Augusta community, Clemson, his church and missions overseas. Dr. Smith became a part-time volunteer surgeon in 1982 using his won funds while working in developing countries including China, South Korea, Palestine, Nigeria, Chile, Venezuela, Poland, Honduras and El Salvador - a total of 36 trips through this year. Most of the recipients of his care were burned children from household accidents and war injuries. He has also performed many reconstructive procedures following cancer ablation and birth defects. Dr. Smith has operated on well over 14 patients, giving them hope and a more productive life. He has learned from all of this that "Getting is in the Giving".

 

In 1989, Dr. Smith and a group of citizens opened the Georgia Bank and Trust Company, presently one of the largest banks in Georgia. As Chairman of the Board, he recently announced that the bank has been chosen by the American Bankers Association as the 34th best bank of the 450 institutions with assets of between 1-1 billion dollars in the United States for the year 2013. From 2001-2003, Dr. Smith served as chairman of the investment committee of the Clemson University Foundation board and was subsequently honored by the school for his adroit leadership. In 2001, he was president of the Exchange Club of Augusta, whose annual fair has raised millions of dollars for Augusta's charities over the years. A life-long communicant of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Dr. Smith served in the vestry for many years and was also the Senior Warden who was the initial fund raiser for the Children's Ministry Center in 1998.

 

 

During his career, Dr. Smith has received many awards for his civic and volunteer work, including an honorary doctorate and the Distinguished Service Award from Clemson University, elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical society by the Medical College of Georgia as well as recognition by the American Medical Association, the Medical Association of Georgia, the Richmond County medical Society, the city of Augusta, Columbia County, the Exchange Club of Augusta, the Rotary Club of Augusta and foreign governments.

 

Dr. Smith, who is in the 37th year of his surgical practice, is still active in athletics and is looking forward to his 5th Augusta Ironman 70.3 mile race on September 28th 2014, when he will swim 1.2 miles in the Savannah River, bike 56 miles in South Carolina and run 13.1 miles in downtown Augusta.

 

He is supported in these many endeavors by his wife, Becky, and his four children, Katherine, Rebecca, Michael, Randy Jr. and his wife, Monica, and four grandchildren.