BPW dedicates brick in honor of Ila Smith

By Sheila Pursglove Legal News The Harriet A. Myer BPW (Business and Professional Women) organization in Jackson dedicated a brick in honor of the late Ila Smith on July 14 at Cascades Manor House. The group has also purchased and dedicated a brick at the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in Lansing. The HAM BPW was joined in the ceremony by members of the Jackson BPW. Smith, who died in 2013 at the age of 81, was a leader in Jackson's business and arts community. A life-long member of the Michigan Business and Professional Women's Association, she served as the State President and was a member of the Harriet A. Myer BPW Club in Jackson. "Ila was a wonderful inspiration and community leader to so many of us," says Family Court Referee Susan Murphy who read the dedication. "Whenever she became acquainted with a new Jackson woman, she made sure she helped that woman find important work to do within Jackson's vast non-profit and art communities. Her spirit lives on in each of us." After graduating in 1951 from Concord High School, Smith spent four years as a bookkeeper at Thompson's Grain Elevator in Concord. She went on to enjoy a career as a business owner; she and her husband Tom started the Tip-Off Shopping Guide in Litchfield in 1956; and in 1978 began The Print n' Post printing and direct mailing business which they sold in 1980. She held several leadership roles, including city manager of Litchfield from 1983 to 1986 and as the first female executive director of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce from 1986 to 1999. In 1999, she ran for mayor against Martin Griffin. Smith was one of a group of 10 that purchased the Michigan Theatre from the City of Jackson in 1993. She served as its marketing director for a decade, and remained involved until her death. One of the first women to join Rotary Club of Jackson, Smith served as secretary for five years and was Rotarian of the Year in 2011; and was involved in the First Congregational Church UCC in Jackson where she served as Chair of the Board of Trustees. A past Chair of the Irish Hills Girl Scout Council, she also was a board member of the Michigan Women's Studies Association and Hall of Fame. "Ila was an icon," says BPW Treasurer Jodi Snyder from Acro Legal Copy Service, a member of NALS of Jackson County. "She was a mentor to many women and always encouraged us. She had a contagious bubbly personality that everyone enjoyed." Smith was an Athena and served on the national board of the Athena organization, noted her longtime friend Shirley Zeller. "She was a friend to all and a mentor to many," she says. "Ila's passion and love for this community was present in everything that she did and we are so grateful that she ended up in Jackson," says Angela Machnik, events director at the Jackson Chamber of Commerce. "She connected with everyone she met and will be missed every day." Published: Thu, Jul 23, 2015