Curtis Cullen Smith, Jr.

Curtis Cullen Smith, Jr., a lifelong Wacoan, prominent attorney, and civic leader, died on April 16, 2022. A graveside funeral will be held at Oakwood Cemetery on Saturday, April 30, at 11:00 a.m., with the Rev. Samantha Smith and the Rev. Judy Filer officiating. Cullen was born on May 31, 1925, in Waco, the only child of Curtis Cullen Smith, Sr., and Elizabeth Brient Smith. He inherited a love of music from his mother, an accomplished pianist who taught at the Baylor School of Music, and entrepreneurship from his father, who was in the farm equipment business. Cullen’s parents were both from East Tennessee, having met at Carson-Newman College (now Carson-Newman University). He had a happy childhood growing up on Trice Avenue, where he made lasting friendships, threw a paper route, and played trumpet in the school band. He spent his summers with his grandmother, Sallie Chesnutt Brient, at the family farm in Englewood, Tennessee, surrounded by aunts and uncles. Having no siblings, Cullen was particularly close to his Chesnutt, Mayfield, and Willson cousins. He attended Dean Highland Elementary and North Junior High, and graduated from Waco High School in 1943. He then joined the United States Marine Corps, which sent him to attend college at Georgia Tech, Emory, and Duke. After receiving an honorable discharge in 1946 as a second lieutenant, he went on to graduate from Baylor University with a B.B.A. in 1948 and Baylor Law School in 1950. On March 6, 1948, he married Laura Risher “Mickey” Dossett, whom he first met at a party while in junior high. Mickey’s extended family, including the Sleepers and the Dossetts, welcomed Cullen and he became a loyal and enthusiastic member of the family. Upon graduation from law school, Cullen and Mickey moved to Weslaco, Texas, where Cullen started practicing law at Smith & McIlheran. Returning to Waco in 1953, he joined the law firm now known as Naman, Howell, Smith & Lee, where he served as president for many years. He especially admired the esteemed legal mind and wisdom of his mentor, Wilford Naman. Cullen was a natural leader and received many awards during his distinguished career. He was named one of Five Outstanding Young Texans in 1957 by the Texas Junior Chamber of Commerce. He served as president of the Junior Bar Association of Waco from 1957-58, during which time it was named the most outstanding junior bar association in the nation. In 1973-74 he served as chair of the American Bar Association General Practice section, the largest section of the American Bar. He was president of the State Bar of Texas from 1978 to 1979. Unafraid to challenge the status quo, he was an early advocate for greater diversity in bar leadership and for recognition and advancement of women in the profession. Cullen was named Baylor Lawyer of the Year in 1980 and Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer in 2000 by the Texas Bar Foundation. In 2007 the Texas Young Lawyers Association established its Outstanding Mentor Award and honored him as its first recipient. Because of Cullen’s innovative and progressive ideas about law firm management, he was a guest speaker at numerous other state bar association meetings. Always thinking about ways to do things better, he embraced technology and even developed software with his creation in the 1980s of a digital database and organizer. Cullen believed in righting what was wrong and was a respected civic leader. In the early 1960s, he worked with a group of Waco leaders to desegregate public facilities in the city, and he advocated for the inclusion of minority groups in law firms and the Waco community generally. In the early 1970s, he served as the head of a delegation from Waco to meet with North Vietnamese officials in Paris to seek the release of prisoners of war who were from Central Texas. The Freedom Fountain in downtown Waco honors this historic effort. He also served on the Waco City Council from 1983 to 1985, including a term as Mayor Pro Tem. Mickey and Cullen were early supporters of Art Center Waco and were among the founding members of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit where Cullen served as Senior Warden, a role he held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church as well. They were among the founders of Vanguard College Preparatory School, which named its art building in their honor. The Smiths were also involved in the community of Englewood, Tennessee, and were stewards of Old Englewood Farm, the birthplace of Cullen’s mother, which is still in the family after over 150 years. He loved animals, especially dogs, and was never without one. In 1961, Cullen and Mickey moved with their three daughters to Lake Air Drive, where they raised horses in their backyard. The couple later moved to the Dossett family home on Columbus Avenue and then to Oak Grove Farm, where Cullen raised quarter horses and continued to ride. An avid cyclist, in 1985, Cullen proposed the Waco Wild West Century bike ride to the Waco City Council, an event still held annually. He was also a talented photographer, documenting family gatherings, travel and everyday life. His skill at adapting to new technologies served him well when he was diagnosed with macular degeneration and had to adjust his lifestyle to accommodate his vision loss. He was grateful to the Waco Veteran’s Administration for assistance with his increasing sight impairment, and he maintained a remarkably positive outlook that inspired those around him. In spite of his accolades and accomplishments, Cullen was a man of humility. His family gave him great joy, and he taught his children and grandchildren by example. He was interested in learning from others and treated everyone with respect. He could always make a stranger feel welcome, and whomever he talked to would feel that who they were and what they were doing were important, and what they thought mattered. He was sought after by many for his counsel in both personal and professional matters, and his integrity and wit were well known. Cullen was preceded in death by Mickey, who died of cancer on June 22, 2006, and by his siblings-in-law, J Leigh and Jane Dossett Brooks, Mary Martha and Walter B. Dossett, Jr., and Thomas and Frances Dossett Swann. On January 3, 2009, he married Ann Brown Parsons, who survives him. Other survivors include his children, Sallie Chesnutt Smith and husband, Robert P. Wright, of Houston, Alethea Risher Smith and husband, Robert G. Gilbert, of China Spring, and Elizabeth Brient Smith and husband, Stuart G. Smith, of Waco; four grandchildren, Payton Cullen Wright and wife, Ashley Peterson Wright, Elizabeth Risher Wright and husband, David G. Rappaport, Laura Patterson Gilbert and husband, Jonathan E. B. Remus, and Margaret Sallie Gilbert and husband, Jordan R. Tucker; and five great-grandchildren, Elizabeth Peterson Wright, Margaret Lee Wright, Lucy Catherine Wright, Edward Brient Rappaport, and Nathaniel Cullen Rappaport. Memorial contributions may be made to Vanguard College Preparatory School (2517 Mt. Carmel, Waco, TX 76710), the Englewood Textile Museum (101 South Niota Road, Englewood, TN 37329), or the charity of one’s choice. The family invites you to leave a message or memory on our “Tribute Wall” at www.WHBfamily.com.