Mr. Darryl Smith taught English at Souderton Area High School from 1966-2004.  

He became fully integrated with the school community easily and thoroughly. He brought his world to us through his trips to Alaska in the summer. He also had a great sense of humor.

He was strict about the use of language. He was also able to recognize the value of reading and conveyed the importance of comprehension, something I, like most students, could not grasp at the time. He gave me a copy of Lawrence Ferlinghetti's "Coney Island of the Mind" to read and do a report on so that I could graduate. When I read the poem that described Christ on the cross, it just didn't blow me away, it sent me on a spiritual quest and a lifetime of reading that has never abated. "Follow your references." I was voracious. I went through dozens of subjects. But biographies were the most interesting. The proof of how just one person can make a difference rings true. And boy did he make that difference for me. I have always tried to follow his example of giving that gift of inspiration whenever the opportunity arises. It made my life a lot more interesting and tolerable to say the least. Thanks Mr. Smith.

~submitted by George Borisow