‘He loved Orangeburg’: Statue honors legacy of Buster Smith

Smith served Orangeburg as the parks and recreation director for 28 years. Under his leadership, the department was named the S.C. Parks and Recreation Agency of the Year.

“He brought a lot to this city and loved seeing people enjoy the parks and programs he developed,” longtime friend and Service Department Director Roger Brant said.

During his tenure, Smith envisioned and established numerous projects to shape the city. He developed programs and additions such as the Children’s Garden Christmas, the Edisto Memorial Gardens Spray Park and the disc golf course.

Smith died in August 2022. He was 75.

Brant recalled Smith’s love and appreciation for Edisto Memorial Gardens.

“He loved his family. He loved his job. He loved Orangeburg. He loved people. People loved him. To know him, you loved him,” he said. “Everybody in the city was like family to him.”

The bronze statue is located at the Orangeburg Recreation Park.

Public Works Director John Singh said Smith’s vision made the park a “premier facility in the state of South Carolina.”

The statue depicts a young baseball player preparing to pitch a ball, a tribute to Smith’s love for the sport.

Durwood Bowden, former director of public works, knew Smith since high school. He remembers him as a star multi-sport athlete.

He was “star quarterback, star basketball player and star baseball player,” Bowden said.

“I pulled out the yearbook from 1965 the other day, and Buster had nine pictures in there. That was a lot. He accomplished a lot when he was in high school,” he said.

Smith played baseball at Clemson University.

The Dick Horne Foundation received money from an anonymous donor to fund the statue. Smith was a board member at the Orangeburg nonprofit for 30 years.

Below the statue, a plaque reads: “In memory of Marion ‘Buster’ Smith, to honor his devotion to young people and his many contributions to the Orangeburg Community.”

The plaque also lists the names of The Dick Horne Foundation trustees and Orangeburg city council members.

Mayor Michael Butler thanked Smith’s family for “loaning us Buster for all these years.”

“On behalf of the city council, we appreciate Buster Smith’s dedication to the city,” he said. “We appreciate what he gave to the city for so many years.”