RICK SMITH was born amongst a mixture of pine and hardwood forests in Minden, Louisiana, a small town several miles north of Bayou Dorcheat. He graduated from Northwestern State University with a degree in nursing. He attended the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock for graduate studies. Much of his nursing career has been administrative with quality and risk management being his career path.

Rick currently works for the State of Texas, regulating behavioral health hospitals.

Rick and Ms. Ellie, a native Houstonian, are parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. They moved to Cass County, building their second “forever” home, on a hill far away, north of Linden. They then built a small cabin in the midst of a cluster of trees and undergrowth and marketed it as a bed and breakfast, calling it “The View from the Hill.” The business was quite successful considering the fact that its location did not make it a destination vacation spot, at least from the perspective of local folks. But the quiet solitude, star-gazing opportunities, and gourmet breakfasts soon garnered a following and most weekends were booked by city folks wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle and noise of the big city.

They still love the quality of life offered by the Upper East Side of Texas. Ms. Ellie is involved with the Chamber of Commerce in Jefferson, where they live in their third “forever” home. She has developed relationships with surrounding Chambers while Rick shares his southern humor with weekly readers of the Jefferson Jimplecute.