Smedes was once asked as a child what did you want to be? His answer: “I wanted to be part of our family business after attending college. I also wanted to attend and play basketball for North Carolina State University.” He did both. Smedes grew up with Raleigh. He saw the city evolve from a small state capital with legislative and educational institutions to the vibrant metropolitan community that it is today. The Smedeses and the Yorks put their mark on the community through education and construction. And Smedes followed their example. In these conversations he gives us his perspective on what they gave him as well as what the community gave in return. Growing up in Raleigh in the 1940s and ’50s, he also reflects on how foreign the sensibilities of those years are to us today.
