Mr. and Mrs. Frederick C. Smith
Lifetime Achievement Award
2009 National Philanthropy Day

Frederick C. Smith credits the Boy Scouts for instilling values that have remained part of his core beliefs. A scout should be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, truthful, brave, clean and reverent. Our society has many problems and challenges. As a young man, Fred became determined to “be part of the answer not part of the problem.” He also believed that it was important to surround himself with others who shared his commitment to finding answers.

Under Fred Smith’s leadership as president and CEO of the Huffy Corporation, Huffy grew to become a leader in bicycles and ancillary products. Fred’s retirement in 1986 allowed him time to utilize those same business skills for the betterment of organizations and agencies in the Dayton Area and internationally.

Fred found a perfect partner in Ruth Pfeiffer. Ruth Pfeiffer Smith, was a role model, trail blazer, mentor, visionary, and community leader. She, too, was committed to being part of the answer. Fred and Pfeife were a team. They shared the desire to help the disadvantaged and the belief that community service was a responsibility.

Pfeife said, “Fred is someone who has paid attention.” “Fred paid attention to the children. And once he was convinced of a community need, he paid attention to it, too.”

Awards and accolades for Fred and Pfeife are many. Some of their greatest accomplishments are seen in the impact their involvement has had on individuals and organizations throughout the Miami Valley. Despite this overwhelming community recognition, Fred and Pfeife have found the greatest joy in the accomplishments of their family. Each of their five sons is successful in his career, a point for which they are most proud.

In the lobby of Miami Valley Hospital while doctors attended to one son’s injury and another son’s serious illness, Fred gazed at the photographs of MVH trustees. “I had no idea who they were, but I owed a lot to the people in that hospital who saved these two little guys,” Fred said. “I resolved that when I could, I’d pay back.” And he continues to do so.

Later, as a member of the MVH Board of Directors, Fred recognized the hospital’s challenging financial situation and helped transform the hospital’s management model resulting in improved financial resources and a hospital that remains at the top of similar medical institutions.

Fred tells of a visit to California where he first learned about the good work being done by a local community foundation. He was convinced Dayton could benefit from such a foundation. Upon his return home, he learned The Dayton Foundation was already in existence and he became committed to its growth. As its chair for 10 years, Fred helped build The Dayton Foundation from a quiet, unknown local foundation to one of the most successful community foundations in the country.

As president of United Way of the Greater Dayton Area, Fred led the agency in a three-year growth period of $1 million per year. He started what is now the Leadership Circle. Believing agencies must set priorities, Pfeife established and chaired the first committee to do just that for the United Way. She also chaired the agency’s first evaluation committee.

Pfeife’s marriage to Fred brought her to Dayton where she became active in the League of Women Voters and the Junior League. She was the first woman president of the Washington Township Board of Education, the first woman Chair of the Advisory Board of the Montgomery County Department of Human Services, and the first woman to hold the position of Senior Warden at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Oakwood. Pfeife was founding president of the Dayton Council on World Affairs and Planned Parenthood of Miami Valley. She also served on the Y.W.C.A. Dayton board and was a member of the Cabinet for their Renovation Campaign. Pfeife served as chair of the “New View” campaign for the Dayton Art Institute and the Wells College Capital Campaign. She was on the board of Miami Valley Child Development Center (Head Start).

Fred and Pfeife worked tirelessly in support of the underserved and those who cannot help themselves. Fred helped establish and served as chair of the Montgomery County Human Services Levy. His service to the community can be seen through his involvement with the Family and Children First Council, the Work Force Development Committee, the Ohio Job Training Coordinating Council, and the Out-of-School Youth Commission. Programs such as The Job Center, the Mound Street Academies, and Improved Solutions for Urban Systems (ISUS) serve as model programs for communities throughout the United States.

Fred and Pfeife have both been committed to providing young people in the Dayton area with quality educational opportunities. Fred served on the board for Sinclair Community College for 15 years, 5 as chair. He spearheaded a multi-million dollar levy campaign that funded Sinclair through the year 2000. Pfeife was one of the founders of the Miami Valley School. She served as a member of the board of trustees for the University of Dayton, United Theological Seminary, and Wells College in New York.

It’s clear to see that Fred and Pfeife did pay attention. They have definitely been part of the answer. Their commitment to community service has made a difference to countless individuals and organizations in the Dayton Region. It is an honor to recognized Mr. and Mrs. Frederick C. Smith as the first recipient of the AFP, Greater Dayton Region Chapter Lifetime Achievement Award.