London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 12, 2025

Born this day: A humble giant of a Virgin Islander- Roosevelt Smith

Born this day: A humble giant of a Virgin Islander- Roosevelt Smith

On this day, 81 years ago, a humble, but determined and hardworking builder of expansive and epic proportions was born in Road Town, Tortola, [British] Virgin Islands to Victoria Abbott and Ludwick Smith aka ‘Captain Jack’. The last of 8 children, Roosevelt Smith was educated at Road Town Elementary School and later took on correspondence courses in quantity surveying and pricing.

He worked at the Public Works Department for six years under the training and supervision of Mr Dereck Taylor, the then Chief Engineer, gaining extensive knowledge in engineering. He later worked as Mr Taylor’s assistant during the design and construction of the main roads to West End, Bell Vue, Long Bush, and North Sound. The experience Mr Smith gained in those years was instrumental in his successful later personal and professional career. He wet his feet in independent private contracting with the building of bridges, hiring many of the major contractors we see today as laborers and masons; these projects continue to stand strong today without defect. By 1968 the budding contractor had started to make his mark with his noticeably impressive work, and so the independent contractor along with his new bride Durene Smith (nee Parsons) established Roosevelt Smith (Modern Construction) Limited (Modern Construction) in April of that same year.

Modern Construction took off, and its high demand permitted it to construct several residential and commercial buildings, along with some that housed institutions that were critical to the comfort and survival of locals in that day; they included:

a) J.R. O’Neal Hardware building

b) Esso Bulk Station (installation)

c) Wattley’s Store

d) Tidswell’s

e) R. T. O’Neal Building and Service Station

f) East End Police Station

g) Sea Cow’s Bay Primary School

h) Phase I and II of the Peebles Hospital Project

i) West End Jetty

j) A portion of Wickhams Cay Development (a subcontract from Walcon Ltd for work on sea defense, drainage, and bridges on 60 acres)

By this time the union between Roosevelt and Durene had produced two sons and a daughter – Roosevelt W Smith, Faye Smith, and Ian S Smith.

40 years ago, look yonder to the now buzzing Road Reef and you would see young Mr Smith and his sons on a backhoe gingerly dredging for the sand which many landowners and business goers enjoy today and which makes up Road Reef. Mr Smith’s reclamation and development project involved over five acres of land to form the buildable Road Reef, to which he personally installed the access road. He also developed Road Reef Marina with over 700ft of reinforced concrete sheet piles and precast slabs to accommodate almost 50 berths.

Now a major contractor, Mr Smith earned the following additional opportunities to participate in the building up of the [British] Virgin Islands, which he did to an impeccable standard as many of those projects stand beautifully and admirably firm to this modern day; those projects included:

a) Subcontract from Kabel Metal Electro for BVI Electricity Corporation Civil Works, cable laying from Long Bush to Pockwood Pond, Apple Bay to Jost van Dyke, and Beef Island to Virgin Gorda.

b) Moorings reclamation and expansion, including dredging, sea defenses, laying of concrete piles, finger piers and other services.

c) Drake’s Highway sea defense structures

d) Construction of BVI Police Marine Base at Road Reef

e) Construction of BVI Electricity Corporation Pump House, Pockwood Pond

f) Construction of the bridge in Anegada

g) Construction of the Anegada Jetty (300ft) and dock (a project funded by the Caribbean Development Bank)

h) Development of Gun Creek Jetty, Virgin Gorda

i) Dredging of Trellis Bay, Beef Island

j) Construction of the Trellis Bay (BVI Government) Jetty, Beef Island

k) Dredging of Inner Harbour Marina at Wickhams Cay I, Tortola

Not just a building contractor, Mr Smith played a major civil advisory role in several community organisations, having served as a Director of the Rotary Club of Tortola (and recipient of Paul Harris Fellow award), as Chairman of the BVI Fishing Company during the planning and construction phases, and Chairman of the VI Social Security Board. His past memberships also included:

a) Education Advisor Committee

b) Immigration Board

c) Building Authority

d) Land Development Control Authority

e) BVI Community College Fund Raising & Building Committee

f) Rotary Club of Tortola

In 1989 Mr Smith and his wife Durene took a leap of faith and purchased a local hotel along with marina at which he had earlier been employed as a labourer - Fort Burt 1990 Limited. He developed the marina extensively, piling for the expansion, designing, and preparing sea defenses, and installing units for 50 berths. The perfectionist and trailblazer that he is led him to renovate and expand Fort Burt Hotel including a first of its kind for the VI – luxury rooms with personal pools. The purchase made Mr Smith one of the VI’s first local to own and operate a hotel.

Mr Smith has always sought to live life to the fullest, likewise under his belt he can speak of several other personal projects including:

a) The launch of the VI’s first automated drive-true car wash (Riff’s Car Wash);

b) The establishment the VI’s first major ice manufacturing plant (Tortola Ice) which was the go-to source for post-hurricane food stuff preservation and premier supplier of the festival village for decades;

c) Drawing and constructing Rodus Commercial Building; and,

d) Purchase and development to Sopher’s Hole Marina.

All work and no play makes anyone dull, Roosevelt being aware of this has served to the upliftment of many in the VI community through the Boys Brigade, his church – Road Town Methodist, and other service organisations. He has also carried on his father’s craft of seamanship, being an avid fisher and yachtsman. His yachts crewed by him, his sons, and others, have won many a BVI Spring Regatta and regional top trophies.

Mr Smith legacy for hard work can be seen in his children (Ronald, Kim, Roosevelt (Bert), Faye, and Ian) and their partners.

a) Bert has helped to develop much of the macro-infrastructure you see on modern-day Anegada;

b) Faye played a leading role in the promotion of BVI Tourism product and properties; member and Director of Rotary Sunshine of Road Town; Faye and her husband Dr Mitchel Penn are the proprietors of Penn Medical Centre; and

c) Ian served as a leading VI and regional banker, served on multiple Government boards including BVI Financial Services Commission Board of Commissioners, BVI Social Security Board as Chairman; Member and President of Rotary Club of Tortola; Ian and his wife Rhonda Hodge-Smith are the proprietors of Smith Realty, Craighurst Law Firm, and Ole Maid Farms.

Mr Smith was a member of the Positive Action Movement. His role in the preservation of Wickham’s Cay and Anegada lands for VIslanders is immortalized among others at the Noel Lloyd Positive Action Movement Park.

The history of the [British] Virgin Islands cannot be told without the inclusion of this humble and soft-spoken giant of a developer, engineer, builder, and hero. Thank you for your contribution, and a Happy and Blessed Birthday ROOSEVELT SMITH!

Mr Roosevelt Smith was very much a family man.

On November 19, 81 years ago, a humble, but determined and hardworking builder of expansive and epic proportions, Roosevelt Smith, centre, was born in Road Town, Tortola, [British] Virgin Islands to Victoria Abbott and Ludwick Smith aka ‘Captain Jack’.

Roosevelt Smith, 4th from left, and his family.

Roosevelt Smith served as a Director of the Rotary Club of Tortola and was a recipient of Paul Harris Fellow award.

Mr Roosevelt Smith's yachts crewed by him, his sons, and others, have won many a BVI Spring Regatta and regional top trophies.

Roosevelt Smith and his wife Durene.

Roosevelt Smith and his extended family.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
×