Marshall Smith is the son and grandson of Baptist ministers. He was brought up in the way of community service and dedication to the church. As a child, Marshall dreamed of being an astronaut. The heavens have always interested him and he has devoted study to these provinces in a variety of mystical ways.
After graduation from Baylor with a degree in English, Marshall had a
chance reconnection with Mary Jane Jackson (a former high school
flame) that ignited a spark. He remembers telling his dad about this
new revelation following his brother’s wedding. As we were pushing
the brooms I stopped and said, “Dad, do you remember Mary Jane
Jackson?” Thirty years later, the couple has just returned from a
bucket list trip to Sweden where one of the highlights was sleeping
in the Ice Hotel.
When Marshall was eleven, his brother along with his young bride and
their baby, were in a terrible car accident. It left his brother gravely
injured and in need of nursing care. Young Marshall watched as his
brother slowly faded for months, finally passing away after nearly two
years. This tragic scene deeply impacted Marshall’s perceptions of
life and God. At eighteen, he left the small, Texas town of Gonzales
for Baylor University.
In his junior year, Marshall was an exchange student to Fukuoka, Japan.
Being so far away from home and mixing with another culture added
layers to Marshall’s already broadened view of himself and the world.
After college, he and Mary Jane lived in Houston where he worked in
banking. When her job brought them to Austin, Marshall decided it
was time for a change. Over chicken fried steak at Threadgill’s one
day, Marshall learned that the First Austin business administrator was
about to retire. The rest is history.
He has served as the Business Administrator at the First Baptist
Church of Austin for the last fourteen years. Marshall feels blessed
to be part of a church where we ask questions and sometimes
disagree, but we keep loving each other. Thanks be to Marshall, for
he keeps the lights on and our programs running with an intricate
balance of peace, love, God and money.
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