Buck Smith was born in Agra, Oklahoma February 16, 1932 and grew up in the small towns of Shallowater and Abernathy, Texas, both near Lubbock.

In 1955 Buck married to Ila Mae Duncan in Dora, New Mexico. They have three children, Melody Wong of Richardson, Texas, Michael Smith of Sugar Land Texas, and Melissa Portillo, of Caracas, Venezuela. They now have 6 grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Buck graduated from Eastern New Mexico University at Portales, New Mexico in 1956. Buck then entered Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas where he received a Masters of Divinity in 1960.

He served as pastor in New Mexico and Texas before going to Ohio for six years. While in Ohio Buck built and pastored churches in both Findlay and Toledo, Ohio.

In 1965 Buck felt the call to foreign missions and in October was appointed by the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board to serve as missionary to Venezuela.

In Venezuela Buck’s literally spent his life in work as varied as the needs of that nation. He was a church planter from start to finish. He served the people as a Pastor, evangelist, church planting. He founded a Christian bookstore ministry; a large medical clinic was named for him: Buck worked extensively on the national level, serving wherever there was a need. He helped support and worked with a Christian Radio station, did evangelistic follow-up work after having planned for and directed the lay volunteer missions groups which came regularly to help evangelize and build churches.

Ila Mae was with Buck every step of the way, supporting, helping with the ministry, and of course raising the children in a foreign culture.

Since leaving as a full time missionary, Buck has done evangelistic work in other countries including Ukraine.

With his heart and life planted in Venezuela, Buck still goes there several times a year to do volunteer mission work. And even now is involved in an outreach to the upper echelons of the South American society, a ministry which has taken him to 5 countries and many cities this year alone.

Buck is a man who has a burden for lost souls wherever they may be. Buck Smith, a man of God, a man who serves. A man who I am proud to have volunteer to serve on the Board of Directors of The Gospel Vision Foundation. His love of The Lord, his wisdom from years of experience will be of invaluable worth to our growing worth.

Welcome aboard Buck, to another adventure in which God is leading.