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Abb Jackson Smith II

Services for Abb Jackson (Jack) Smith II, of Auburn, were conducted Sunday, July 1, at Auburn United Methodist Church, with burial following in Fairview Addition Cemetery in Eufaula. Officiating were Dr. Cory Smith, Rev. Charles Cummings, and Dr. Alan Cassady. 

Mr. Smith, 47, was born April 6, 1971, in Eufaula, the son of Joel Pierce and Ann Sutton Smith. After graduating from The Lakeside School he attended Birmingham-Southern College, where he received a bachelor’s degree in history. He also held a master’s degree in journalism and communications from the University of Alabama. At Birmingham Southern, he was president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and a member of the President’s Student Service Organization.

In 1996, Jack returned to Eufaula to join his father at The Eufaula Tribune, serving as general manager and later editor and co-publisher.

During his tenure at the newspaper, he won numerous awards for journalistic excellence from both state and national newspaper associations. He was known and respected for strong, but fair, editorials as well as his popular personal column, Editor’s Notebook.Most notable of the awards he and his staff earned was the coveted General Excellence Award from the Alabama Press Association.

He served on the board of directors of the Alabama Press Association Journalism Foundation. He was instrumental in the organization of Main Street Eufaula and was an active member of the Eufaula Chamber of Commerce, receiving the Volunteer of the Year Award.He also served on the Wallace College Sparks Foundation board and was actively involved in numerous community projects.

He was an active member of First United Methodist Church and assisted in the publication of a newspaper during the annual conference of The Alabama-West Florida Conference.

Following the sale of the family newspaper in 2006, Jack established J Smith Consulting and was a successful consultant and seminar leader for various organizations such as press associations, colleges, and newspapers, as well as Auburn Athletics. He later was named Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Communications for Auburn University Athletics, where he worked until May 2017. At that time he resumed his consulting business, which he successfully conducted until the time of his death.

Jack also served as a consultant for the staff of the award-winning Auburn Plainsman and taught selected classes in the journalism department.

Jack wrote a widely-read blog, “One Man’s War On Depression,” that touched the lives of many, who, like Jack, struggled with depression and anxiety.

Jack is survived by his wife, Alison Williford Smith of Auburn; three children, Sutton Elizabeth Smith, Abb Jackson Smith III and James Manning Smith; a stepson, Max Pepito; two brothers, Joel P. Smith Jr. (Paige) of Eufaula and Bill Smith (Mark); of Washington, DC.;his mother, Ann S. Smith of Eufaula; and the mother of his children, Barclay Smith, Auburn; and numerous uncles, aunts and cousins.

Memorials are suggested to the Jack Smith Memorial Fund at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention , PO Box 530171, Birmingham, AL 35253