Dee Glen Smith was born September 30, 1925 in Brigham City, Utah the son of Ren and Seret Smith. He worked for his father, who owned a small grocery story, throughout his youth. He graduated from Box Elder High School in 1943 and quickly joined the US Army. During a leave of absence, Smith married his high school sweetheart, Ida Woodyatt in May 1944. After a honorable discharge as a corporal from the Army, Smith returned to help his father run his grocery store, quickly catching on to the daily store activity and soon taking over many responsibilities from his father. Smith joined with a partner and expanded his business, Smith's Grocery, into Ogden, Roy, and Layton, Utah. After his father passed away, Smith took over as president and began to expand even more throughout Utah and later into Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, and other states. Many small grocery chains were up for sale at the time due to poor business practices and Dee Smith bought them up and consolidated them into a profitable venture. Dee Glen Smith died June 30, 1984 in Salt Lake City, Utah, leaving behind a billion dollar business that included 128 stores and 6,500 employees.
Dee Glen Smith Biographical Timeline:
- 30 Sept. 1925 Born in Brigham City, Utah to Ren and Seret Smith
- 22 May 1943 Graduated from Box Elder High School in Brigham City, Utah
- 5 May 1944 Married High School sweetheart, Ida Woodyatt
- January 1952 Awarded the Jaycee's Distinguished Service Award in Brigham City, Utah
- 15 May 1975 Awarded the ‘City of Hope” award by the Food Industries Circle in Salt Lake City, Utah
- Spring 1978 Awarded the Maurice Warshaw Golden Key Award
- 25 May 1979 Named the food executive of the year by USC and the Food Marketing Management Institute
- 22 June 1979 Awarded the ‘Golden Plate’ by the American Academy of Excellence
- 12 May 1983 Awarded the distinguished executive award by the USU College of Business, Logan, Utah
- 10 June 1983 Received an honorary PhD of humanities from Weber State College in Ogden, Utah
- 30 June 1984 Died at age of 58 in Salt Lake City, Utah
From the guide to the Dee Glen Smith Oral Histories, 1925-1984, (Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives)
Dee Glen Smith was born September 30, 1925 in Brigham City, Utah the son of Ren and Seret Smith. He worked for his father, who owned a small grocery story, throughout his youth. In 1943 he graduated from Box Elder High School and joined the US Army. During a leave of absence, Smith married his high school sweetheart, Ida Woodyatt in May 1944. They had three boys Richie, Jeff and Fred. After a honorable discharge as a corporal from the Army, Smith returned to help his father run his grocery store, quickly catching on to the daily store activity and soon taking over many responsibilities from his father. Smith joined with a partner and expanded his business, Smith's Grocery, into Ogden, Roy, and Layton, Utah. After his father passed away, Smith took over as president and began to expand buying smaller grocery stores in Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona consolidating them into a profitable venture. Dee Glen Smith died June 30, 1984 in Salt Lake City, Utah, leaving behind a billion dollar business that included 128 stores and 6,500 employees.
From the guide to the Dee Smith Photograph Collection, 1908-1983, (Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives)
