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WORLAND – "If you want to receive, first you have to give," noted author and speaker V.J. Smith on Friday, during a speech to Worland High School students in the Worland Middle School auditorium.

For an hour, students sat transfixed on Smith's stories of appreciation through kindness, with a focus on using "thank you" as a way to validate others.

A 1978 graduate of South Dakota State University, Smith spent the 1980s working for the Allied Signal Aerospace Company in Kansas City, Missouri. He returned to SDSU in 1990 to serve as assistant athletic director for the SDSU athletic program. He was appointed executive director of the SDSU Alumni Association in 1996 and resigned from that position in January 2007 to become a full-time speaker.

It was in 2002, in South Dakota, when Smith first met "Marty," a cashier at a local Wal-Mart. Almost immediately, Smith recognized that Marty was different, taking time to engage with each and every customer, taking time to personally come around the counter and shake hands and hug children, even offering to pay for customer's groceries if they were short on funds.

After several visits to the store, Smith became inspired to write a letter to the CEO of the chain, to let them know how special Marty was an employee. Through that exchange, Smith and Marty soon became friends, spending time together up until Marty's death of leukemia.

The experience led Smith to write "The Richest Man in Town," about Marty's influence on his community and the people he interacted with while working as a cashier.

"Going places with Marty was like hanging out with a rock star," said Smith. "Everyone knew him and children especially threw themselves at him in public, all because he took the time to show them gratitude and kindness."

A survivor of the Great Depression and veteran of the Pacific Theater of World War II, Marty found peace waiting on people, both in the restaurant industry, and in retail. His ability to put aside his own problems and pay attention to others inspired Smith to take Marty's story on the road in 2007.

"I've told this story 3,000 times," said Smith, "and here I am in Worland, Wyoming, and now you too, know Marty."

While explaining his theory of "validation through appreciation," Smith summed it up quite simply.

"All you have to do is say thank you, even if you don't need to. What you put out comes back to you."

After his lecture, students lined up to personally thank Smith, while many offered to give him a hug, so that he could pass the kindness from Worland on to his next stop on the lecture circuit.

"His speech was really good," said Hailey Richard, a ninth-grade student at Worland High School. "It makes you think about the impact that being nice has on people."

Smith also spoke to middle school students during an earlier assembly.