MILWAUKEE, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lloyd B. "Ted" Smith, the former chairman and chief executive officer of A. O. Smith Corporation and a member of the founding family of the company has died at the age of 87 after a brief illness. Smith joined the manufacturing company founded by his great grandfather in 1942 and served as chairman and chief executive officer from 1967 until his retirement as chief executive at the end of 1983. "All of us are deeply saddened to hear of Ted Smith's passing," Paul W. Jones, chairman and chief executive officer of A. O. Smith Corporation said. "He was a man of the highest integrity and ethical standards, someone who believed strongly in 'the best people in the world,' the employees of A. O. Smith." Smith grew up in Milwaukee and attended the Country Day School (now University School of Milwaukee) and the Thatcher School. He studied engineering at Yale University's Sheffield Scientific School and joined A. O. Smith in 1942. After serving in the U. S. Army Air Force during World War II, Smith returned to the company in 1945 and was elected a vice president and director. One of his first assignments was at the company's new water heater manufacturing operations in Kankakee, Ill. He returned to Milwaukee as president of the corporation in 1951, the fourth generation of the Smith family to lead the business, and served in that role until April 1967 when he was elected chairman and chief executive officer. Bruce M. Smith, the chairman and chief executive officer of Smith Investment Company and a member of the A. O. Smith Board of Directors remembers his father as "a leader who believed that empowering people would help unlock their highest potential. With my father at the helm, the company adopted modern management practices and transitioned from a heavy manufacturing concern to a world wide, diversified venture." During his years as leader of the Milwaukee-based company, A. O. Smith enjoyed significant growth in its legacy automotive business as well as in new industries including electric motors, residential and commercial water heating equipment, the Harvestore (R) line of agricultural storage systems, and fiberglass piping systems. He oversaw the company's move away from passenger car frame assemblies into the light truck market during the late 1970s and early 1980s as well as the development of A. O. Smith's first international operations in Europe, Canada, and Japan. Company sales grew from $181.6 million when he re-joined the company in 1945 to $791.1 million when he retired as chief executive officer at the end of 1983. He stepped down as chairman of the board the following year, but remained a member of the Board of Directors until 1993 at which time he was elected director emeritus. Smith served for many years of the Board of Directors of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Continental Can Company, the First Wisconsin National Bank (now U. S. Bank), and Deere and Co. He was named a Distinguished Life Member of the American Society for Metals in 1965 and was a trustee of the Highway Users Federation for Safety and Mobility. Smith was also involved in a wide range of community and civic activities, principally in the greater Milwaukee area. He served as a board member of the Medical College of Wisconsin, a director of the Milwaukee Voluntary Equal Employment Council, and a member of the campaign advisory committee of United Community Services and the Greater Milwaukee Committee. In 1982, he served as Wisconsin campaign chairman for the United Negro College Fund. Smith is survived by his wife of 62 years, Lucy Woodhull Smith, his brother Arthur O. Smith, his children Robert L. Smith (Sarah McEneany), Bruce M. Smith (Janine S. Smith), Roger S. Smith (Judy P. Smith), Nancy Linzmeyer, and his 10 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. DATASOURCE: A. O. Smith Corporation CONTACT: Media Inquiries, Mark A. Petrarca, +1-414-359-4100, or Analyst-Investor Inquiries, Craig Watson, +1-414-359-4009, both of A. O. Smith Corporation Web site: http://www.aosmith.com/

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