Maurice Smith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1909-11-30)November 30, 1909 London, England |
| Died | February 21, 1985(1985-02-21) (aged 75) Hawaii, US |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Known for | Winnipeg Free Press |
| Awards | |
Maurice Douglas Burnet Smith (November 30, 1909 – February 21, 1985) was an England-born Canadian journalist. He began working for theWinnipeg Free Press in 1927, became asports journalist in 1930, then served as the paper's sports editor from 1944 to 1976. He wrote a regular sports column titled "Time Out", and frequently reported on baseball,ice hockey, curling, andCanadian football. He helped establish theCanadian High School Curling Championships in 1951, and was the founding president of the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association in 1955. He covered 33 consecutiveGrey Cup championships before retirement, then served on the selection committees ofCanada's Sports Hall of Fame and theManitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. He was made a life member of theManitoba Curling Association in 1970, inducted into the Football Reporters of Canada section of theCanadian Football Hall of Fame in 1982, and was posthumously inducted into theManitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987.
Maurice Douglas Burnet Smith was born on November 30, 1909, inLondon, England.[1][2] He was the youngest of two children to parents George and Mary Smith, had English heritage, and immigrated toWinnipeg in 1913.[3] He worked as apaperboy in his youth and was rewarded for his service with a gold watch at age 10.[1] He became acopy boy for the business department of theWinnipeg Free Press in 1927, then became a sports reporter in the early 1930s. He went to Scotland in 1937, where he wrote programs for theScottish Ice Hockey Association, and met his wife Ann McKenzie inPerth. They married on October 13, 1939, moved to Winnipeg in 1940, then Smith resumed working for theFree Press.[1]
Smith became sports editor of theFree Press in 1944, succeedingEd Armstrong who vacated the position to become city editor. Smith wrote the sports column "Time Out", and reported regularly on baseball,ice hockey, curling, andCanadian football.[1] He followed theWinnipeg Blue Bombers and covered 33 consecutiveGrey Cup championships.[4]
In collaboration withKen Watson and others, Smith helped establish theCanadian High School Curling Championships in 1951.[5] Smith was the founding president of the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association (MSSA) in 1955, which established an annual awards banquet to honour Manitoba's athletes as of 1956.[6] He established the "Spirit of Christmas Fund" within theFree Press sports department in 1971, as a means to help the less fortunate in Winnipeg.[7]
Smith retired from theFree Press on March 27, 1976,[8] and was given a testimonial dinner attended by 300 sportsmen at the Winnipeg Inn.[9] He was succeeded as sports editor byHal Sigurdson,[8] who stated that Smith talked him into returning to Winnipeg from Vancouver to be his successor.[10]
Smith had one son and one daughter, and was a resident of theSt. James neighbourhood of Winnipeg. His hobbies included golf, fishing, collecting coins and stamps.[1] He was aFreemason and a member of lodges in Perth and Winnipeg.[2] In retirement, he served on the selection committees ofCanada's Sports Hall of Fame and theManitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.[4][11]
While on vacation in Hawaii, Smith died from heart failure on February 21, 1985. His remains were cremated and returned to Winnipeg.[1][2]
TheManitoba Curling Association made Smith a life member in 1970.[1][2] He was inducted into the Football Reporters of Canada section of theCanadian Football Hall of Fame in 1982.[1][4][12] The MSSA established the Maurice Smith Memorial Award in December 1985, to be given to the team of the year in Manitoba sports.[6][13] He was posthumously named to the honour roll of the MSSA in 1986,[14] and inducted into theManitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987.[11]
Hal Sigurdson felt that Smith's writing style was fair, and that he kept personal feelings and news judgment separate. Sigurdson wrote that, Smith was a humble person who did not talk about his own exploits, and the Smith regularly said he was the "luckiest guy in the world" to make a living in journalism.[10]