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Scholarship Honors
Doctor to the Stars

(April 3, 2003)

Beverly Hills—The Board of Governors of Thomas Aquinas College announced the immediate establishment of a new endowment for student scholarships honoring Dr. and Mrs. William W. Smith for their tireless dedication and generosity to the College.

This new endowment, the Bill & Gerry Smith Endowed Scholarship Fund, was started with $100,000 from unrestricted College resources. Its establishment was a surprise announcement by former Board president Tom Sullivan at a dinner honoring Dr. Smith on Sunday evening, March 30, at the Regent Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. More than 140 attendees were present, including many of Dr. and Mrs. Smith's long time friends, colleagues, and patients such as comedienne Phyllis Diller.

"Bill Smith assumed the Board leadership at a critical time in the history of the College," explained Thomas Aquinas College president Dr. Thomas E. Dillon. "We had firmly established a reputation for academic excellence, but we had to move forward on the construction of permanent buildings and an endowment fund."

Under Dr. Smith's 12-year tenure, the College student body increased by 50%, the endowment fund grew from $330,000 to more than $8 million, and the campus increased from four permanent buildings to nine. Dr. Smith was unanimously elected Chairman Emeritus when he stepped down from the Chairmanship earlier this year.

"All of us at Thomas Aquinas College are deeply grateful for Bill and Gerry's own sacrificial giving," added Dr. Dillon. "Speaking personally, I have a profound respect and affection for Bill, and understand why his former patients love him so dearly. He has been for me a model of kindness, patience, cooperation, warmth, empathy and perseverance; a man of outstanding character and goodness. I am extraordinarily grateful for the privilege of being able to call Dr. Smith ‘friend.'"

Attendees at the honorary dinner for Dr. Smith also included Sir Daniel Donohue, Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Grant, Jr., and Miss Rosemary E. Donohue, all from the Dan Murphy Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. W. K. Skinner, from the Fritz B. Burns Foundation; Carolyn Dirks of the Joseph P. Gould Foundation, and her husband, Phillip Dougherty; Dr. and Mrs. William Rosenberg; many other medical colleagues; and the Smith family.

Andy Zepeda of the Beverly Hills law firm Lurie and Zepeda, a 1979 graduate and now Board member, was Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Msgr. George P. Parnassus, pastor emeritus at St. Victor's parish, gave the invocation, and current Board Chairman Maria Grant welcomed guests. A spirited and talented Barbershop Quartet of Thomas Aquinas College students entertained guests with lively song, and student Matt Henry provided piano music throughout the dinner.

For more information about the Bill & Gerry Smith Endowed Scholarship Fund, please call Quincy Masteller at 805/525-4417, extention 327.

Looking for extra work, he became a medical consultant with MGM Studios for a new television show, "Dr. Kildare." Dr. Smith then spent time advising actors how to behave like doctors and nurses and other medical personnel. He also reviewed the set and scripts and ensured that terminology was correct. But he also won the respect of many in the entertainment industry who saw in him that spirit of the country doctor, always reachable, always with sound advice. He became the physician for the Motion Picture Health and Welfare Group, and by 1955, he helped establish the Beverly Hills Medical Clinic where he spent many busy but rewarding years as a family doctor. He retired in 1991.

In addition to his work in private practice, Dr. Smith also devoted many years of his life at two of Los Angeles' most renowned hospitals: Good Samaritan and St. John's. For many years, he served on the staff of St. John's Hospital, becoming Chairman of the Board of Trustees in 1987. Throughout this time, he also served as a volunteer teacher at UCLA's emergency center, as an officer for the Los Angeles Public Health Service, and as an examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration, certifying pilots and airline industry personnel. He served for two years in World War II as a member of the Admiral's staff in the Navy, having been turned down by the Army due to injuries he had received in a motorcycle accident.

Among his many professional honors, he is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Health of England, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is also a member of the California Medical Association, the Los Angeles County Medical Association, the Los Angeles Academy of Medicine, the American, California, and Los Angeles Heart Associations, and the American Science Film Association.