UPFRONT
Remembering Murray Smith MURRAY SMITH, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER of Professional Pilot magazine and staple at any Business Aviation event, died on December 25, 2019 at the age of 89. He is survived by his wife, Marcia ‘Eleni’, who has been the assistant to the publisher and has directed advertising sales for the magazine, along with two sons, David and Alexander, and a granddaughter.
Fernand M. Francois Editor and Publisher
Born in Chicago, Murray’s interest in aviation took off at an early age. It started while working at an airport near his Chicagoarea home, where he also took flying lessons at the age of 14. He attended the University of Illinois and earned a degree in journalism. After a short stint working as a technical writer with an advertising agency, he joined the US Navy. After leaving the military, Smith took his passions for aviation and writing and went on to found Professional Pilot. The first issue was published in January 1967 – an issue that even then carried what would, over the next 50 years, become his trademark: a cover photo of a featured company’s president, staff and products. In 2012, Smith was honored during the 9th annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards – one of his many accolades. He kept his ATP and CFI certificates current until the day he died. Even when medical issues forced him to pass on his publisher duties to his “A friend who dies, it’s something of you who dies.” Gustave Flaubert
successors, Murray remained involved in both the publication and the industry. “As you may know, Murray had to step down from his captain position due to medical reasons, although he still visited the office regularly,” the magazine’s staff said in announcing Smith’s passing. “He will be truly missed.” It seems that everyone knew Murray, and news of his passing was noted across the industry with numerous memorials and the sharing of memories. “For decades, Murray Smith and his team have brought welldeserved attention to the people and companies that represent the best of our industry,” said NBAA President Ed Bolen. “We are deeply saddened by Murray’s passing,” said Helicopter Association International President and CEO Matthew Zuccaro. “It says a great deal about his position in our industry that a person could talk about him using just his first name.” “Murray was an advocate for Business Aviation and was never shy to ask the first question in a press conference and to continue to ask until he fully understood what was going on,” says Volker K. Thomalla, editorin-chief of BART International. That persistence, combined with his in-depth knowledge of the industry, made his contributions so valuable for his readers. Good Skies my Friend!
