The Upstate is losing a political heavy hitter, the Legislature is losing a senator who's an endearing blend of candor and compassion, and most of all, this state's most vulnerable citizens are losing their greatest champion. State Sen. Verne Smith of Greer announced Wednesday that illness has taken its toll and he's giving up his seat.

The accolades are pouring in. That's only appropriate given what Smith, who describes himself simply as "just an old tire salesman," has accomplished in his 33 years in the Senate. He has had a hand in pushing along many of the good things that have happened in the Upstate.

With the sharp mind of a businessman who built his own tire empire, Smith has known what it takes to encourage economic development in our area. As Bob McAlister, chief of staff for Gov. Carroll Campbell when BMW came to South Carolina, wrote on our op-ed page in March, Verne Smith used integrity and charm to help land BMW. Without the down-home senator's help, the state likely would not have been able to persuade property owners to sell land, some of which had been in families for generations, for the new BMW plant.

Smith, as his pastor, Dr. Kyle Allen, told a Greenville News reporter, is "a churchman, a statesman, a family man and a friend, and he has done more to glorify God while bettering the lives of South Carolinians than anyone else I know."

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Verne Smith has worked tirelessly to better the Upstate. He helped secure funding for the Peace Center, the Governor's School for the Arts, Greenville Technical College and countless other projects.

And he has been a statesman, although certainly one who could talk bluntly when the situation called for it. Smith switched from the Democratic to Republican Party in 2001, but without a doubt he's been one of the least partisan politicians in Columbia. His beliefs in fairness, honesty and service have consistently risen above party allegiance.

At the top of his list of accomplishments is this: Smith has been a strong, sincere spokesman on behalf of the poor, the elderly, the disabled and the very young. His public service has been defined by his mission to help this state's most vulnerable people -- "those who can't help themselves," as he has put it.

Verne Smith will be missed in the state Senate. We join countless others in thanking him for his service and wishing him well in his retirement.