Alumni SAGE Society Legacy Oral History Project Smith enrolled in Sangamon State University in 1971 and earned his master’s degree in business and public administration. A Chicago native, Smith discusses his family background in politics, his previous attendance at Loyola University from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science, and his military service including a tour in Vietnam. Smith especially remembers Michael Ayers, who acted as his faculty advisor. He recalls the relaxed atmosphere of Sangamon state in the early 1970s and relates that many of his classmates were working professionals who attended courses at night and on the weekends. Smith also discusses his role in Illinois and National politics including working for Secretary of State Michael Howlett and United States Senators Alan Dixon and Wendell Ford. Smith also relates anecdotes about his mother, Anna May Smith, who became a faculty member at Sangamon State. See also D2/1/3 Alumni SAGE Society Legacy Oral History Project.

Digital audio file, 53 min., 19 pp. Interview by Mary Caroline Mitchell, 2010 OPEN