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Celebrating the Leadership and Vision of Harold A. Smith

November 5, 2009

Hal Smith, Executive Director

On Tuesday, November 3, more than 700 people gathered at the Hilton Baltimore in downtown Baltimore to celebrate the 35-year legacy of Executive Director Emeritus Hal Smith.

The theme of the evening centered on the familiar saying that "If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day; if you teach him to fish, he eats for a lifetime" because that is how Hal has approached his life's work at Catholic Charities.

Guests dined on chicken with sauce, rice, string beans and carrots, which was the same meal that was served to Pope John Paul II when he ate lunch at Our Daily Bread with Catholic Charities clients and Hal during his 1995 visit to Baltimore. George Thompson, a long-time volunteer cook at our Daily Bread, who prepared the Pope's meal, presented Hal with the exact plate on which the Pope ate.

Executive Director Bill McCarthy emceed the evening and brought the audience to laughter on numerous occasions. Father Ray Chase, chaplain at Catholic Charities, Abbey Smith, who has been a member of the Board of Trustees for seven years, and Archbishop Edwin O'Brien each shared a special tribute to Hal and presented him with mementos of his tenure.

Donors, volunteers, employees and clients expressed their admiration and thanks to Hal in a video tribute shown on four screens after dinner. After a standing ovation, Hal made touching remarks about his long career at Catholic Charities. The evening was a bittersweet celebration of the man that made Catholic Charities what it is today.

To view the photos of the evening, click the play button below.

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