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Smith receives auctioneer honor
 Bubba Smith, a long-time auctioneer from Winnsboro, has received the Louisiana Auctioneering Associa-tion's highest honor as the newest member of the Louisiana Auctioneer Hall of Fame.
Smith, who has conducted countless charitable auctions, said he didn't expect the award and was surprised when his named was called.
"They had talked to all my family and even had my daughter from Texas on the phone," Smith said.
Smith received the award at the state convention in June.
He's been auctioning for 37 years, and at 83, Smith said he holds the world record for auctioning a bale of cotton for $2 a pound.
"It was at a chamber auction and I think I still hold the world record auction price for cotton," he said.
Smith got into auctioning after a accident in an 18-wheeler left him severely injured and with the threat of further injury if he kept driving.
"There was a good chance I could have been paralyzed just driving along," Smith said.
He took a few months off after the accident, but after a short time back on the road he realized he'd come to the end of that career.
"One day I woke up and my left arm and right leg were paralyzed," he said. "I delivered the load and sold my truck. On the way home I passed a sign that said they were going to teach auctioning classes and I figured I could do that."
The auctioneering association stated that Smith "is a legend in his own time" and was selected because, "He has held thousands of small auctions all over Louisiana and other places with total disregard to his own financial status. His goal was to help others by using his auction skills in charitable auctions … If you were to ask him, he would tell you he has received more wealth in love and thankfulness than money can buy."
Smith recalled on particular auction where he said a miracle took place.
"It was going to be a big auction for this fellow with cancer," Smith said. "I woke up that morning with a terrible sore throat. I could hardly talk."
Smith said he "doctored" himself all day, but when he got to the auction his throat wasn't much better.
It was then he asked one of the auction organizers to step outside the building with him to pray that his voice hold out for the auction.
That's when the miracle occurred.
"Would you believe, that auction was one of the longest I've ever done. We started at 5:30 because there were so many people there and didn't get finished until 11:30 or 12," Smith said. "Now, I didn't do that."
Smith said he has no plans to retire and plans to keep auctioning for a long, long time. |
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