Jefferson Smith, Portland public speaker, entrepreneur, and former lawmaker, is a prominent figure in social entrepreneurship, politics, and media. Inspired by his family and his renowned uncle, Hyrum Smith, Jefferson is lauded for his ability to deliver compelling speeches, a skill that has shaped his impact across various fields. From graduating magna cum laude from Harvard Law School to founding the youth-engagement nonprofit The Bus Project, serving in the Oregon House of Representatives, and championing community radio in Portland, his career reflects a commitment to inspiring and mobilizing change. Smith has also brought his voice to the airwaves, hosting programs like the nationally distributed Thom Hartmann Program.
Most recently, Jefferson Smith co-founded a clinical research software startup focused on increasing the performance of clinical trials by improving the human experience. The company was recently purchased in a successful acquisition. He is now the co-founder of the Innovation Network and is a highly sought-after consultant and advisor for entrepreneurs and pro-democracy leaders.
Undergirding Jefferson’s multi-faceted success is a family history that continues to play a central role in his personal journey, especially as it relates to his Uncle Hyrum – creator of the Franklin Day Planner and co-founder of Franklin Covey.
Hyrum Wayne Smith was born on October 16, 1943, in Centerville, Utah. He embarked on a life of service, innovation, and leadership, beginning with a mission to London, England. Following his mission, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as a field commander of a Pershing missile battery in Germany. While on leave in 1966, Hyrum married Gail Cooper, a Dixie State College graduate.
After completing his military service, Hyrum graduated from Brigham Young University in 1971 and was later honored with three honorary doctorate degrees for his contributions to business and education.
In 1981, Hyrum founded Golden Eagle Motivation, focusing on sales management training. He gained widespread recognition as one of the creators of the Franklin Day Planner, which he developed in his basement using his innovative time-management system. In 1983, he founded the Franklin Quest Company, which manufactured the planners and conducted productivity seminars. The company went public in 1992 and, in 1997, merged with Stephen R. Covey’s Covey Leadership Center (of “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” fame) to form the Franklin Covey Company. Hyrum served as Vice Chairman of Franklin Covey until his retirement in 2004.
Hyrum and his wife Gail retired to their 22-acre ranch in Gunlock, Utah, where he continued his legacy of service. He served as a mission president in California and played a pivotal role in the development of Tuacahn and Dixie State College.
Surrounded by his family in his home at Eagle Mountain Ranch on November 18, 2019, Hyrum Smith died.
The passing of Jefferson Smith’s beloved uncle, Hyrum Smith, was a profound loss that deeply impacted him. As Jefferson reflected on his uncle’s life, he found himself not only mourning the loss of a family member but also rediscovering the wisdom and lessons Hyrum imparted to him and countless others.
Writing and delivering the eulogy became more than a tribute—it was an opportunity for Jefferson to honor the man who had shaped his life and to embrace the enduring legacy Hyrum left behind. Jefferson’s heartfelt remarks, shared at the funeral, capture the depth of his love and respect for his uncle while offering insights into the values Hyrum lived by. Below is an edited version of Jefferson’s eulogy. It reflects on the life and teachings of Hyrum Smith, including numerous easter eggs from Hyrum’s own favorite passages, and the overarching theme….
What Do We Pray When Our Heroes Die?
“What do we pray when our heroes die?
December 17th, I was sitting in the County Library, making a Prioritized Daily Task List.
I wrote, in this book: “Visit Uncle Hyrum one last time.”
The next day, my phone was lit with calls and text messages:
That Hyrum Wayne Smith had fallen.
What do we do when our heroes die?
Do we type remembrances until our keyboards slip with our own tears? Maybe.
Maybe that’s how I’ve spent my last two nights until about 2am.
We know that we mourn not for him, but for us. We will miss him. We will miss seeing him.
But Lord, we will also miss the work that he could do so that we might not have to.
We didn’t have to be as good, because he could be good.
We didn’t have to watch, because someone was watching.
We didn’t have to fix it, because our hero might fix it.
Borrowing from Psalm 23, “we can fear fewer evils for He is with us.”
What do we pray when our heroes die? We can pray to be better.
Hyrum Smith saw me as better than I am. That was a gift he gave.
He believed each of us and all of us could be better.
Sometimes he made us believe it too.
That we could fly as eagles.
There’s more work to do today, because Hyrum Smith has fallen.
What do we pray when our families die?
What do we do?
Every time I am near a casket, I think of the first time I attended a funeral in this Utah desert… For my cousin. And Aunt Gail and Uncle Hyrum had to bury a child and a grandchild.
We could barely fathom their pain.
In his eulogy, he referenced a painting, displayed in the family home, of pioneers above a shallow grave in winter.
And Hyrum Smith, his chin pointed at us, explained that the grave had to be shallow….
Because they had to move on…. Because their survival depended upon moving on.
What do we pray when our loved ones die? We can pray to carry on.
What do we do when our families die? We can love.
And love is spoken here.
The greatest of these is love.
It’s taught in James. Let us be doers.
And in Romans, if your gift is serving, then serve.
If it is teaching, then teach.
For Hyrum Wayne Smith has fallen.
What do we pray when our teachers die?
What voice will lift us if he is not here?
Of all the people in the whole world, whose voice do we want to hear right now?
Who might put it in context with clarity? Is it not Hyrum?
What do we do when our teachers die? We can remember.
Three months ago I visited the ranch.
He bequeathed to me a set of stories, quotes, scriptures, and poems.
Not only to me, he spent most of his life bequeathing them to all of us. What could we do? Borrowing from Proverbs, let us hold on to instruction. Do not let it go. Guard it well.
What is your life? There is so much to guard.
We might wince, even cry aloud, but we are the captains of our soul.
Let us rise. Each time we fall to get up and finish our race, there is more work to do today.
More work, more love, more learning for Hyrum Wayne Smith has fallen.
What do we do when our heroes die? We could pray.
And let us pray, In the name of Jesus Christ.
Let us pray that his words, his loving memory, his lessons and his spirit, rise in all of us.
Amen.”
