SUMMERDALE, Ala. — A prominent figure for decades in public school education and athletics has been named principal and chairman of the board of Alabama Gulf Coast Christian Academy.

Lester Smith served the Badwin County School System for 41 years before retiring as director of Human Resources and assistant superintendent.

AGCCA is a Christian school that opened its doors on Aug. 10, 2006, with the mission to provide quality Christian education through individualized instruction and low student to teacher ratio. The school is located on five acres at the corner of Baldwin County Road 71 and County Road 28.

School officials note AGCCA began as the dream of Billy Lambert and Marjorie Snook. It was Mrs. Snook who donated the land for the school in August 2004.

Smith’s accomplishments as an educator are equaled or surpassed by his accomplishments as a football player and coach at Foley High School. He is a charter member of the Foley High School Athletic Hall of Fame, a charter member of the Baldwin County Coaches Hall of Fame, and a member of the Baldwin County Middle School Athletic Hall of Fame.

Smith was born in what is now the Sibley Holmes Hospital Museum in downtown Foley. He attended Foley schools throughout and served as president of his senior class. He was part of the 1961 Foley High School state championship football team coached by Ivan Jones. On that team Smith was quarterback and a team captain.

He went on to be freshman class president at East Mississippi Community College, where he attended on football scholarship and would eventually be inducted into that school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Smith attended Southeastern Louisiana University on football scholarship and graduated with a bachelor of arts. He also earned a master of science from Troy State University. He was an honor graduate of all three schools.

Smith returned to Foley and coached with Ivan Jones in 1967. When Coach Jones retired in 1969, Smith became head football coach of the Lions. From 1969 through 1986, Smith compiled a record of 119-53-2. From 1983 to 1986 he also served as assistant principal while also serving as football coach. He was voted one of the Top 15 Coaches in Alabama and is the winningest football coach in county history. In 1987 he was appointed principal at FHS and remained in that position until 1993.

From 1993 through 1995 he served as Human Resources manager for Gulf Telephone Co., then returned to the county school system as athletic director. He remained in that capacity until 2001 when he became head coach at FHS a second time. In 2005 he became supervisor of Human Resources for county schools and eventually director.

Smith is married to his high school sweetheart, Elaine Cannon Smith. They are the parents of four grown children. Keith Smith is head football coach at Foley Middle School and teaches algebra and math. Kimberly Smith Webster is an English teacher at Prattville Christian Academy. Jill Smith Young lives in Cleveland, Ohio, and is a senior manager with Ernest and Young accounting firm. Leigh Smith Fauber teaches biology at Milken Community High School in Los Angeles and serves as girls track, soccer and cross-country coach.

Lester and Elaine Smith are expecting their eighth grandchild in the near future.

Lester Smith has served as an elder in the Foley Church of Christ for many years and a Sunday School teacher for 45. He was named the 1993 Rotary Civic Person of the Year by the Foley Rotary Club and serves on the board of the Snook Foundation.