DeFord Smith, III
DeFord III was born 1948 in Atlanta, Georgia at Piedmont Hospital. He grew up in Buckhead (2590 Northside Dr.) and Norcross (Exeter Place); Grandmother Smith lived on Rumson Rd in Garden Hills and Grandmother Beutell lived on Conway Road (12-acre lot), where he lived for some time as well.
In high school, he ran track, and was a member of the wrestling and cross country teams. He attended Emory for 2 years before transferring to GA State, where he earned his bachelor's in political science in 1971. While at GA State, DeFord pledged to the Georgia Epsilon chapter of SAE; he was president of the alumni association in 1980. He later earned his MA in finance from GA State in 1974 and a 2nd MA in tax from in 1978 (top student in program).
From 1972-1976, DeFord was in the marines at Parris Island. He was recognized as the platoon honor man (top recruit in platoon of 120).
DeFord III was a police officer in Atlanta in 1971 and a state sergeant in 1976. From 1972 to 1976, he worked as a CPA at C&S Bank. He worked in public accounting from 1976 to 1978 at Touche Ross in the audit dept. In 1978, he worked for Arthur Anderson in the tax department before switching to the health insurance industry at Johnston, Higgins, and Mercer, where he was the Vice President and Sr. Acct. Manager. He remained in the health insurance industry for the remainder of his career, selling more state government accounts than anybody.
He married Pamela Holmes Murray at Saint Philips in Atlanta in 1972. With her, he fathered 3 children: Ashley Michelle (1980), Alison Renee (1984), and
Jeanette Elizabeth (1985). He married Laura Braswell in 1991 and had DeFord Lawson in 1995. In 2011, he married Sandra Leonard.
DeFord is a blackbelt in karate and enjoys deer hunting and world travel (he made 5 trips to Africa, including Botswana, Rwanda and Uganda on a gorilla trek;
other trips included most of Western Europe, Peru, Thailand, Hong Kong).
In high school, he ran track, and was a member of the wrestling and cross country teams. He attended Emory for 2 years before transferring to GA State, where he earned his bachelor's in political science in 1971. While at GA State, DeFord pledged to the Georgia Epsilon chapter of SAE; he was president of the alumni association in 1980. He later earned his MA in finance from GA State in 1974 and a 2nd MA in tax from in 1978 (top student in program).
From 1972-1976, DeFord was in the marines at Parris Island. He was recognized as the platoon honor man (top recruit in platoon of 120).
DeFord III was a police officer in Atlanta in 1971 and a state sergeant in 1976. From 1972 to 1976, he worked as a CPA at C&S Bank. He worked in public accounting from 1976 to 1978 at Touche Ross in the audit dept. In 1978, he worked for Arthur Anderson in the tax department before switching to the health insurance industry at Johnston, Higgins, and Mercer, where he was the Vice President and Sr. Acct. Manager. He remained in the health insurance industry for the remainder of his career, selling more state government accounts than anybody.
He married Pamela Holmes Murray at Saint Philips in Atlanta in 1972. With her, he fathered 3 children: Ashley Michelle (1980), Alison Renee (1984), and
Jeanette Elizabeth (1985). He married Laura Braswell in 1991 and had DeFord Lawson in 1995. In 2011, he married Sandra Leonard.
DeFord is a blackbelt in karate and enjoys deer hunting and world travel (he made 5 trips to Africa, including Botswana, Rwanda and Uganda on a gorilla trek;
other trips included most of Western Europe, Peru, Thailand, Hong Kong).