POULSBO — As if about 100 friends, family and well-wishers dedicating a flagpole in his memory weren’t enough, John “J.C.” Smith got a very special tribute Monday.

Just after the official ceremony concluded, attendees spotted an eagle circling over Nelson Park. The large bird dipped its wings and hovered over the crowd for some time, as if there by personal invitation.

“Did you plan that, Joyce?” One person joked from the crowd to Smith’s widow.

It was a beautiful send-off for a man for whom many said a new community flagpole was an apt remembrance. The fixture in the newly-developed portion of Nelson Park was added by the Smith family and the North Kitsap Republican Women organization May 14.

“This is a beautiful day and a beautiful setting,” Rep. Beverly Woods commented during Monday’s ceremony. “What can be more fitting than to dedicate a flagpole on Flag Day? What a fitting way to remember (Smith’s) support to his community.”

Poulsbo resident John C. “J.C.” Smith died May 24, 2002 at the age of 73. He was an active member of the Poulsbo Noon Lions Club and also a mentor through the North Kitsap Success program. The Lions club now gives a scholarship in Smith’s honor.

“He lived his ideals through his work,” Republican Women organization president Fay Hendon said. “With his ideals and his altruism, he served his community.”

Councilman Mike Regis commented that he felt Monday’s dedication was all about the word “community.” In the shadow of the Nelson farmhouse, which he said represented the community of the past, the community of the present was on hand to dedicate a public amenity that would stand into the future.

“It’s fitting that you have a flagpole here for John Smith because he was a man very much of the community,” Regis commented. “He was very dedicated to his community.”

The event was the first official gathering at Nelson Park since the first phase of its development was completed this month. The 11-acre parcel was bought by Poulsbo in 1998 but formal work creating a park there was not undertaken until this year, through a matching grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Parks and Recreation Director Mary McCluskey expressed relief and pride in the final outcome.

“This whole project has taken a long time,” McCluskey told the crowd. “When the grass went in on Friday, I was so excited. I thought, ‘OK, now we’re here.’”

The official dedication of Nelson Park will take place at 10 a.m. June 26. The community is invited to come share in the event.