Hall of Fame
Elmer K. Smith was the Section V founder and President from 1921 through 1954. A University of Rochester graduate, Elmer aspired to become a physician but switched to physical education “because it was a related field – and I liked working closely with people.” During his lifetime he worked closely with 1000s of youngsters and was a member of the Rochester City School District’s Board of Education for 50 years.
When Elmer founded Section V it was composed of a handful of schools and was only for the sport of basketball. Today, Section V encompasses over 115 schools competing in 30 different sports in 11 counties. Once asked later in his life what sport was his favorite, Elmer responded, “In my book, we have no so-called major sports. All are on an equal footing. I have no favorites”.
Mr. Smith joined the Rochester Board of Education in 1916 as a supervisor of boys’ recreational sports. Elmer became the first, and is the only person from Section V to have become Chairman (President) of the New York State Public School Athletic Association (1933-35). In 1934 he was named the Rochester City Schools associate director of Health and Physical Education.
In a story recounted by Mr. Smith in 1962 he recalled returning from the state basketball tournament in 1924. When he stepped off the train in Rochester at 2am, he was immediately accosted by 6 youths. He swung the bag he was carrying and caught two of them in the face. They all took off. In the bag was about $3,000.00; the gate from the tournament. The next year he opened the first Section V bank account.
Mr. Smith’s honors include a Rochester Club Award for “Outstanding service to the community in serving youth in the area of sports”; a Monroe County American Legion Citation for service to the youth of Rochester; the National Federation of High School Athletic Association award for more than 25 years of activity in the public high school field of athletics; and the 1960 State Service Award from the New York State Association of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.
Elmer K. Smith passed away in October 1983 at 89 years old, but he left a legacy that continues to be a model across New York State in the administration and leadership of Interscholastic Athletics.