LEE PRINCIPAL RESIGNS AFTER COCAINE ARREST

Students, Parents Stunned; 'He Was Doing A Great Job'

Less than two hours after being charged Thursday afternoon with
possession of cocaine, Harry Smith resigned as principal of Lee High
School in northeast Huntsville.

Smith, 49, was released from the Huntsville-Madison County Jail on a
$10,500 bond.

"He was doing a great job. He got the school going," said PTA
President Brian Lombardino. "When he got here the school was way down.
In two years, he gave it a new face."

Smith, who took charge of Lee in the summer of 2002, was charged at
3:46 p.m. Thursday during a traffic stop at U.S. 72 East and Mastin
Lake Road. The arrest followed a two-month investigation by the
sheriff's Vice and Narcotics Unit, said Sgt. Mike Bertus, head of the
unit.

Bertus said there was no evidence Smith had illegal drugs on the
school's campus. No one was with him when officers stopped his vehicle
on Thursday.

When arrested, officers said, Smith had what appeared to be seven to
nine rocks of crack cocaine in his possession.

By 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Smith had called Superintendent Ann Roy Moore
from jail to resign.

Standing in front of Lee this morning, Moore said the students have
been calm. She had already appointed assistant principal Andrew Fuller
to acting principal. She also brought extra counselors to school,
although no students requested their services first thing.

Moore said most parents have approached her to say Smith did a great
job.

"He's been a great leader for the school, so they're sad," said Moore,
who was accompanied at Lee this morning by the system head of
security, several top administrators, two school board members and the
system's new spokeswoman, Barbara Nash.

The school was to hold assemblies to relay the news to all students
this morning, Nash said.

"I couldn't believe it," said Chris Pape, senior class president. "I'm
not one to be without words. I was speechless. It's kind of like a
nightmare."

Pape, who said he got to know Smith and meet his family, said Smith
improved student behavior at the school.

"He was always nice, even when punishing people," said Pape. "He was
always smiling."

As students entered, talk went to the news. As office aides asked one
another how they first learned of the arrest on TV, one student simply
answered: "Famous."

Smith, a native of Florence, replaced former Principal James Embry.
The school board removed Embry after two years at Lee. Moore said
Embry agreed to return to Westlawn Middle School, where he had served
before.

Smith signed a two-year probationary contract worth $85,000 a
year.

Moore said it will take time to consider possible replacements for
Smith.

"I think it's shocking and unfortunate," said board member Doug
Martinson Jr., who represents the school. "Lee High School is strong
and will remain strong. Hopefully the students will learn a valuable
lesson about how devastating drug use can be."

Lombardino said he's been fielding calls from others parents since the
news broke. They want to know why this happened, he said, because
Smith was well regarded for improving the atmosphere at Lee.

"Sometimes a situation eats at a person. They make great strides, but
the outer pressure gets them," said Lombardino. "But we don't even
know if this is true."

Then he added: "Lee High School is not just Doctor
Smith."

A graduate of the University of North Alabama, Smith began teaching
math at Muscle Shoals High in 1975. He later served as the principal
of Muscle Shoals High for 13 years. He also served for many years as a
minister in the Church of Christ.

Smith also taught math in Florence, worked as director of the
Christian Student Center at UNA from 1980 to 1983 and worked briefly
as an assistant principal in Muscle Shoals.

Smith graduated as valedictorian of Mars Hill Bible School in 1972. He
and his wife, Joy, have two children in college.