Shirley Day Smith, who spent more than 60 years as the administrative assistant in the press office for the New York Racing Association and its predecessors, died Sept. 20 after a brief illness at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, NY. She was 99-years-old. Smith had retired from NYRA in the mid-1990's.
“Shirley was loved by everybody,” former NYRA publicity director Glen Mathes said. “And I'd venture to say she helped more people than anyone in the history of horse racing. That was certainly true when it came to members of the media. She was a great worker and an even better person.”
Smith, who lived in Lido Beach, NY, was a popular figure among media from throughout the country. She was honored as a Kentucky Colonel and she was a recipient of the National Turf Writers Association's Joe Palmer Award for meritorious service to racing. The New York Press Photographers Association presented her with a “Good Gal Award” in 1987 for cooperation and assistance to the media.
A funeral is planned for Monday, Sept. 24 at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Point Lookout, NY, with the burial afterward at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.
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