Fralin, Smoot in Hall of Fame

Heywood Fralin

Ray Smoot

Raymond Smoot of the Virginia Tech Foundation and W. Heywood Fralin of Medical Faclities of America, among other things, have been named to the  Junior Achievement Southwest Virginia Buisness Hall of Fame. They will be inducted at a dinner at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center Nov. 12.

Fralin, a University of Virginia graduate with a law degree from American University, spent years in the law in Roanoke. When his brother Horace died, he became a partner in Fralin & Waldron, Horace's firm. Since 1995, the company has grown into three distinct businesses that include 40 nursing facilities with 7,000 employees.

Fralin has been a notable supporter of the education and of non-profits through the Horace C. Fralin Charitable Trust. He recently gave his American art collection to the Fralin Art Museum at the Universty of Virginia and he was among the founders of the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke.

Smoot, a Lynchburg native, is a Virginia Tech graduate and was president of the Student Government Association. He earned an English degree and a master's and PHD in educational administration. He landed at Tech as vice president of administration in 1975 and held leadership positions in administration until 2003 when he was named CEO of the Tech Foundation, managing investments, acquiring and managing real estate and large gifts. He has been in charge of the growth of the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, WVTF Public radio, the Via College of Osteopathic Medicine the Virginia tech Seafood Research Center and the Tech/Carilion Research Institute.

For ticket information please contact betsy@ja.roacoxmail.com or call Junior Achievement at 989-6392.