William Forest Smith (May 18, 1931 - June 23, 2016) passed away with his family by his side from advanced stage melanoma. Bill was born in Los Angeles to Alexander and Mary Smith and was raised in San Marino. He attended South Pasadena High School, PCC, Claremont Mens College, and then continued on to become a member of the Trojan family graduating from USC in 1956 with a degree in Business Administration. He was also a proud member of Phi Delta Theta.

Bill and Nancy Ann enjoyed 63 years of marriage, four children, nine grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. They raised their family in San Marino and moved to Newport Beach in the mid-1990s. Bill loved his Lord Jesus Christ and anything mechanical. Some of his happiest moments were spent under the hood of a car or in the bilge of a boat. His mechanical abilities drove his career path. Bill started his professional career with Union Oil Company selling industrial lubricants in the Los Angeles area. His passion for horsepower then led him to become director of marketing for Edelbrock, selling speed equipment. Always an entrepreneur, in 1978 he started his own business, Universal Motion Components Company, Inc which manufactures and distributes driveline components for Center Pivot Irrigation Systems. His innovations have propelled irrigation across the planet since 1978 literally changing the face of the earth. These transformations can be viewed from Google Earth.

He is survived by his wife Nancy Ann; daughters Marianne Lieberman and Linda Smith; and sons Mark and Brian Smith; his sister Nancy Smith Snyder (SPHS '52) of San Marino and brother Alexander Smith of Seattle.

Daily Pilot, June 30, 2016