Pub. 59 2018-2019 Issue 4

31 SUMMER 2019 partner John Ivy, and Ivy Russell Ford which was established in 1937 became Russell & Smith. Smitty and Bill Russell would be partners for the next 45 years. In 1968, Charles joined the dealership after graduating from the University of Texas where like Smitty, he, too, was an ATO. A few years later Russell & Smith Ford moved from downtown to 610 at Main near the Astrodome. In ‘73 the dealership was awarded one of the first Honda franchises in Houston. I joined the dealership with Charles and Dad after graduating from the University of Texas where I was also a member of the ATO’s. In the early 80’s, my sister Len became the Honda dealer in Conroe. At the time, she was one of the few women dealers in the state. Charles, Smitty and the family began to expand in Texas. Over the next 12 years, dealerships were added in Houston, Conroe, Beaumont, Austin, Round Rock, Dallas and Mesquite. In 1990, my brother Bill left a career in commercial real estate and became a partner with Smitty and the Russell’s. Over the next 22 years Bill helped the dealership buy additional land and build all new facilities. In ’98, Charles, was one of the key players in the formation of Group 1 Automotive in Houston. All our dealerships except Russell & Smith and Conroe rolled up and become one of the three founding dealer groups of Group 1. Charles loved to tell how Smitty, being an old car dealer, said it is a good thing Russell & Smith and Conroe didn’t join that public company because when it doesn’t work, you boys will have somewhere to go. In ‘06 I moved back to Houston from Beaumont and joined my brother Bill and Dad at Russell &Smith. After graduating from TCU, my son Jordan, went to work at the dealership to learn the car business. And for the last eight years he has worked in every department of the operation. A few months after Jordan joined the company, Charles’s son, Chase, who graduated from Baylor and worked for the Sewell organization for over 12 years bought out my brother Bill in Russell & Smith. I like to say we got rid of an old goat and replaced himwith a young ram. Chase and Jordan are the fourth generation of Smiths in the car business. I went through this family timeline to show that if Smitty had not moved back to Yorktown after the war to learn the car business – and had not taken the risk 20 years later to move to Houston – I doubt any of his children or grandchildren would be in the car business today. Our family all know, without  TADA LEGEND — CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28  TADA LEGEND — CONTINUED ON PAGE 32