Ethelbert Walton Smith Jr. ’42

Bert died Dec. 6, 1999, in a hospice in St. Petersburg, Fla., after a five-month illness. A prominent St. Petersburg auto dealer for 46 years, his death was stroke-related. Assembling a collection of dealerships, he was a pioneer of the "auto mall" that provides car shoppers a variety of brands at one location.

Preparing for Princeton at Lawrenceville, Bert majored in economics and was a member of Charter Club. During WWII, he worked for Carnegie Illinois Steel Co. for four years. After seven years with the Hanna Coal Co., also in Detroit, he moved to St. Petersburg to purchase an Oldsmobile dealership that became the cornerstone of his business. An avid train enthusiast, he purchased a private car used by executives of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. It still sits on the railroad siding at his dealership.

A pilot, he obtained helicopter certification at age 69. He founded the Bert Smith Paramedics Trust, which provides annual awards to outstanding paramedics, in addition to supporting the Florida Orchestra and the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts.

To his wife Barbara, his sons Bert III and Christopher, his daughter, Kimberley, and to his three grandchildren, the class extends its warmest sympathies.