Gerald William Smith

Gerald W. Smith was the seventh of eight children who grew up in Pamona, Missouri. After graduating from West Plains High School in 1943, Gerald got his first taste of the dairy industry as a tester for the Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA). He worked in Texas and Howell counties in the early forties. In February of 1945 he was drafted and sent to Korea where he served the 5th Air Force at Seoul.

Upon discharge Gerald enrolled as a dairy manufacturing major at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Like other outstanding students, Jerry did a summer internship in the Steele Ice Cream Company plant in West Plains during the summer of 1948. The internship provided initial experiences in making and freezing ice cream mix. Professor W. H. E. “Bill” Reid gave him even more experience as Gerald completed his degree in three years, finishing in 1950.

Following graduation, Gerald was employed by Sealtest lee Cream Company in Kansas City. Gerald and Helen Maxwell were married the same year. He continued to work for Sealtest and Foremost dairies until 1959, when he joined Neil Angevine – Mr. Cottage Cheese to many of us, with the Meyer-Blanke Company in St. Louis. He served as Director of Research for their manufacturing division. In 1965 he was promoted to General Manager of that division. In 1970, Meyer-Blanke merged with a competitor, and Gerald joined the G. S. Suppinger Company as a sales representative.

Finding the supply side of the industry rewarding, Gerald and Helen decided to start their own company, Stabilized Products Inc. With hard work, persistence and dedication they produced a very successful business. Profits from Stabilized Products Inc. allowed them to support the MU Dairy Products Evaluation Team, the Missouri Dairy Products Association and the St. Louis Section of the Institute of Food Technologists, among other endeavors. Gerald delighted in sitting with the judging team at the awards ceremonies.

Stabilized Products Inc., located on the southwest side of St. Louis, specialized in the development and production of stabilizers for the dairy industry and especially for cultured dairy products. Gerald invented and patented a process for improving the yield of cottage cheese. In 1999, the Smiths sold the company to Opta Foods of Boston, Maine. He continues to consult in the dairy and food industry.

The Smiths have two daughters, Jacqueline Kay, born in 1954 and Stephania Ann, born in 1956. Both graduated from the University of Missouri.

The nominator for this award, Jerry X. Powell, is a member of the Missouri Dairy Products Association. Mr. Powell worked for Gerald Smith at Stabilized Products Inc. from 1975 to 1999.