Sydney Smith
Sydney Smith is a lifelong Skyline camper and couselor. She has also been on the Skyline Foundation Board since 2005 and has served as an executive member. Attending the Uiversity of Alabama School of Law in Tuscaloosa has been benefital to our foundation board. According to Sydney, “I was a smalltown country lawyer. During the early years of my law practice, I did many things to accommodate the needs of my clients. I did collections, divorces, adoptions, wills, corporations, deeds, contracts, estates,industrial board financing and criminal law when appointed by the courts to represent an indigent. I began to represent the local school systems to assist them in complying with the federal desegregation orders. My law practice ultimately involved representing local school boards and real estate transactions.” Sydney currently lives on Lake Martin in Alabama. Read more about her camp experince below…
What makes Skyline special to you?
Camp Skyline was special to me as a camper and counselor, and in the years since it has become even more special because of the friends I have made and continue to make. I have continued to discover Skyline Alumnae in every facet of my life.
What is your favorite Camp memory?
My favorite memory is a collection of all of those times when we campers and counselors had “free time” and were able to share and deepening our friendships.
What like skills did you learn at Camp?
I learned how to make friends; to be a friend and to live with other people while respecting their individuality. I also learned leadership skills. As a camper in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s there were not many women in leadership positions. Skyline provided opportunities to be a leader in different environments. That training was essential to my later schooling and work.
As a Skyline Hero, what advice do you give college students interested in your field?
First, I do not consider myself a Hero, but I will offer my advice. With a law degree many employment opportunities are available in addition to being a practicing attorney. Many types of businesses offer opportunities as does the field of education. A law degree made it possible for me to be self-sufficient. I could support myself financially without being dependent on anyone else. This gave me the freedom to engage in many meaningful activities without being limited by work requirements. Today, many law school student bodies have more than 50% women. These numbers are being reflected in the State Bar Associations and firm memberships. There is still a glass ceiling but women are now making significant advances. In today’s world, women now have the ability to have children and still practice law.
