This sculpture commemorates Preston Smith, the former Texas governor from Lubbock. Known for his relentless work ethic and corny sense of humor, Smith was the first lieutenant governor to be directly elected to the governorship and the first West Texan to be elected. He was inaugurated as governor on January 16, 1969, and was re-elected to a second term in 1970. As governor, he signed into law the legislation that established the Texas Tech University School of Medicine. His papers are located in Texas Tech’s Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library.