The Tom Maynard Memorial
Poker Run is a popular annual event
at Smith Mountain Lake. Saturday,
May 18th, will mark the Poker Run’s
16
th year, yet there is still some
confusion as to its purpose, and few
recall its origins.
Let’s start with
the Poker Run’s
namesake.
Tom
Maynard is to the
Smith
Mountain
Lake
Boating
Association
what
Henry Ford is to the
family sedan. Ask
almost anyone who
he was, and you’re
likely to hear “He’s
the guy that they
named the poker run
after,” or some other
equally
profound
informational tidbit.
A quick web search will more
likely yield information about a
young Welsh cricketer, who recently
met his untimely end while being
pursued by law enforcement officers
in London. Indeed, while the locally
revered Tom Maynard may not
enjoy wide celebrity status, he is
nonetheless someone who had a
profound effect on the quality of life
here at Smith Mountain Lake.
Tom’s life at the lake began
as many do; he was working for
Allstate Insurance in Roanoke,
and eventually purchased a condo
here for weekend getaways. While
working at Allstate, he met his
future wife, Susan, also a part time
lake resident.
“
We actually met at Allstate,
but we became friends because we
both had places at the lake,” she
recalls. They eventually married in
1992. “
Tom was a very intelligent
man, very friendly, community-
oriented… very good sense of
humor…he had a lot of stories from
his background that he would tell.”
One of his favorites involved a
conversation that he had with his
father, shortly after his graduation
from high school in 1961. His
father wanted to know what his
plans were, now that he had his high
school diploma. Tom mused that he
might like to take some time off,
whereupon he was marched down to
the local Army recruiter, and signed
on for a 3-year hitch, separating
from the Army with the rank of
Sergeant. He always finished the
tale remarking that from that point
on, he remained focused on more
productive pursuits.
An avid boater and motorcyclist,
Tom hung up his chaps after a freak
accident almost cost him his foot.
From then on, he concentrated all
of his passions on boating. Anyone
who enjoys boating on Smith
Mountain Lake should be pleased
that he did.
Always active in the community,
Tom became involved with the
Smith Mountain Lake Association.
In the mid-90’s, concerns began to
arise over the “growing pains” that
were affecting the lake. As the lake
population grew,
problems
with
unsafe
boating
practices increased.
Recognizing
the
need for action,
many
SMLA
members
called
for legislation to
establish
speed
limits and stringent
“
no wake” rules in
all coves.
Tom and a
few
like-minded
colleagues in the
SMLA agreed with
the need for action, but thought
it better to approach the problem
by other means. They reasoned
that onerous laws might result in
greater safety, but often at the cost
of personal freedom. Since they
differed considerably from the rest
of the organization on this point,
they formed the Smith Mountain
Lake Boating Association. Under
Tom’s leadership, the SMLBA
spearheaded programs for boater
education and safety on the lake.
“
Education, not legislation”, a
phrase coined by Tom Maynard,
became their motto.
Part of their agenda included
boating safety classes, which the
Boating Association promotes
through the SML Sail & Power
Squadron. Tom became a certified
instructor for the Virginia Boating
Basics course, and wrote a boating
safety tips column in The Smith
Hard Act to Fol low
by Tim Ernandes
Discover Smith Mountain Lake |
www.discoversmithmountainlake.com
Discover Smith Mountain Lake | Spring 2013
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