James “Smitty” Smith is the man who taught many Lexingtonians what it is to be a kind and gracious person.

James L. “Smitty” Smith, a familiar face to many in downtown Lexington known for his welcoming presence at Columbia Steakhouse and the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, died this week. He was 89.

Big Smitty runs his own $2,500,000-a-year engineering firm in Detroit, but he is seldom there. He fishes in Bimini, skis in Norway, once slept with Hillsdale in a Santa Anita stable.