Obituary of Ronald Smith

Ronald P. Smith, established the first Integrated Student Information System (ISIS) in the United States, passed away at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center on Tuesday morning, March 15, 2011. The husband of Jane (Dalton) he was 80 years old. Ron began his career as an oil truck driver in Pittsfield Mass in the Berkshires and learned computer science as part of a Massachusetts retraining program when, after an accident that nearly broke his back, he could no longer drive heavy vehicles and needed a new way to support his family. His career eventually took him from the data processing/payroll department at Supreme Market (later called Purity Supreme), to MIT working in the famous Building 20 on the large 7094 computers to the Registrar’s Office at MIT where the system he designed served the Institute for 20 years and was copied by colleges, universities, and school districts around the world. He was instrumental in integrating a new MD/PhD joint program in Health Sciences and Technology to MIT. After retiring in 1988, Ron came back to MIT first as a consultant, then he was asked to bring his skills of streamlining processes and establishing standards to the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology. He worked for Harvard University for ten years. Ron was born in Goffstown, New Hampshire. He was the son of the late Winfred and Ruth Smith. Ron moved to Baltimore with his parents who worked at Glen L. Martin during the war effort. He developed a lifelong love of Big Band music. Every chance he got he would slip in to the Hippodrome Theatre to hear, in person, Glen Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw – the list could go on. He was raised and educated in Pittsfield, MA. Around 1945 he created the Spring Side Park Social Club. He organized dances on the weekends giving the junior high school age young men and women a place to congregate. Later he married and moved his family to Westford, MA. In Westford, he served on the Town Planning Committee and was a Past President of the Westford Little League. He was particularly proud of implementing a policy that every child should play a minimum of three innings per game. He loved baseball at all levels traveling to spring training yearly to not only watch the Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates, but other teams as well. He was a loyal Red Sox season ticket holder. In 1977, Ron married Jane and they made their home in Burlington, MA for 32 years. They were devoted to each other and enjoyed travelling by car throughout the United States and loved vacationing in Cape Cod. Ron was a member of the Masons, the Richard C. Maclaurin Lodge, the “tech” lodge of MIT and recently received his 50-year member medal. Ron made a mark on everyone he met and in all that he did. He had the inherent ability to take complicated problems/processes and break them down into the simplest terms and develop smooth results. He was a born leader and manager Ron was always skilled with his hands and would come up with inventive solutions around the house. He did enjoy tinkering. Ron was the beloved husband of Jane (Dalton). Ron was the father of Kevin Smith of Wilmington, DE and Jan Houston Smith of Quincy MA whose husband is Darryl. He was the brother of Betty McLaughlin of New Boston, NH and the late Alvin. Visiting hours will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Friday March 18 from 4-8 p.m. & Saturday March 19 from 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Funeral Services will be held at Pine Haven Chapel, 84 Bedford St., Burlington on Sat. at 12 Noon. Interment in Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington. Memorials in Ron’s name Partners in Health, For Haiti, P.O. Box 845578, Boston, MA 02284-5578.