Alfred P. Smith III ’54

Al died June 24, 2023, at home in Morristown, N.J. 

He attended Madison High School, where he was active in football, tennis, and student government. At Princeton, Al was a member of Tower Club and advertising manager of WPRU. He graduated magna cum laude and was awarded the Wolf Balleison Memorial Prize in Economics for his thesis on “Reorganization of the Missouri-Pacific Railroad.”

After several months with General Electric, Al was commissioned into the Army at Fort Sill. He served with the 599th Armored Field Artillery Battalion in Erlangen, Germany, from 1954-57, where he met and married Amanda Schmitt. 

After his discharge, Al returned to GE, later joining Merck in 1960. Attending New York University night school, Al earned an MBA in economics in 1963. During his 30 years at Merck, Al held various positions, initially as director of finance-Europe and of Merck, Sharp & Dohme International, then as controller, treasurer, and VP of finance for Merck & Co.

After retiring in 1990, Al and Amanda split time between Morristown, N.J., and Naples, Fla., and enjoyed ski trips and travels throughout Europe, Asia, and South America. Al served for a number of years as Annual Giving section chair for Northern New Jersey. He spent his later years in New Jersey, gardening and playing golf at Morris County Golf Club. 

Al is survived by his daughter Lisa; his son Michael ’87; and grandchildren Nicholas and Lucas.