Smith, Gusse Thomas

Born in 1881, Gusse Thomas Smith came to Arizona in 1917. For sixteen years she served as social director of the Arizona Biltmore Hotel. Fascinated by the birds in the desert surrounding the hotel, she gave series of bird lectures. She also contributed to Arizona highways and served as publicity director for the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. She died in 1964.

Born in Missouri in 1881, Gusse Thomas Smith and her family came to Arizona in 1917. Smith served as Publicity Director for the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce from 1924 to 1929, and as Social Director of the Arizona Biltmore Hotel from 1929 to 1945. In both capacities, she wrote a number of promotional brochures and travel articles about Arizona. Smith also wrote short stories and articles which were submitted to national magazines for publication, and was a contributor to Arizona highways. Fascinated by the birds in the desert surrounding the hotel, she studied local flora and fauna. In 1941, Smith published Birds of the southwestern desert, based on a popular lecture series she conducted while at the Arizona Biltmore.