Hilton executive witnessed history

William Smith ~ 1925-2009

As the general manager of some of the largest Hilton Hotels in the country, William Smith made it his custom to greet important dignitaries when they arrived, and be on hand to escort them when they left.

He was following that same protocol on March 30, 1981, when he accompanied President Ronald Reagan to his waiting limousine. However, just as they emerged from the hotel, assailant John Hinckley fired six shots that hit Reagan in the stomach, and left his press secretary, James Brady, paralyzed.

"My dad was about the only one still standing," says his youngest daughter, Tracey Smith of Itasca. "It was a very impactful moment in his life, and one he talked about all the time."

Mr. Smith ultimately spent 30 years with Hilton Hotels Corp. The 23-year resident of South Barrington died Saturday at age 83.

Ironically, Mr. Smith had studied to be an engineer, making him unique among members of the Hilton management. However, he accepted a job at the Statler Hotel in Cleveland, and after the chain was sold to Conrad Hilton in 1954, he began his career with Hilton Hotels.

Mr. Smith's first job as general manager came in 1964, when he took over the reigns of the New York Hilton.

"Right from the start, my dad worked long, long hours, and his nights were constantly interrupted with problems downstairs," says his daughter, who adds that she and her siblings grew up in hotels. "But that was what my dad was so good at, multi-tasking."

His next assignment took him in 1968 to the chain's flagship hotel, the Conrad Hilton in Chicago, located across the street from Grant Park, and he started there just days before it served as headquarters for the Democratic National Convention and a focal point for street violence between police and demonstrators.

"That was my dad's greeting to the city of Chicago," Tracey Smith adds of her father, who had grown up in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Subsequent assignments drew more on Mr. Smith's engineering background as well as his hotel experience. In 1978, he managed the renovation of the Fontainebleau Hilton in Miami Beach, before his fateful four years at the Washington Hilton.

In 1984, his career came full circle, when he was tapped to manage the $150 million transformation of the Conrad Hilton into the Chicago Hilton and Towers.

Around that same time, Mr. Smith and his wife, Dorothy - they were married 63 years - broke ground on their first house in South Barrington, where they made plans to retire.

Over the years, his children say, Mr. Smith met many dignitaries and heads of state, as well as every president from Kennedy to Clinton. However, his friendship with President Reagan was his most memorable, and he cherished a photo of the two of them, that he hung in his office.

Besides his daughter, Mr. Smith is survived by his wife, as well as his children Diane of Schaumburg, Bill of Philadelphia and Brad of Chicago.

A funeral Mass will take place at 10:30 a.m. today at Holy Family Catholic Parish, 2515 Palatine Road in Inverness.