[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book II)]
[December 5, 1998]
[Pages 2130-2131]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at the Memorial Service for William Maurice Smith, Jr., in 
Wynne, Arkansas
December 5, 1998

    Jane, Mark, Murray, Annette, all the members of the family and the 
friends of Maurice. I stayed up late last night and got up early this 
morning, and I was trying to think of what I should say. I told Maurice 
I'd be here, and I figured somebody might ask me to talk. So I thought, 
well, I ought to start with what he would say to me. Some of it is not 
repeatable in the church. [Laughter] But it would go something like 
this: Expletive deleted, don't say too much. [Laughter]
    I think all of our lives we will remember a small man with a craggy 
face, a gravelly voice, a blunt manner, a keen mind, a kind heart, and 
powerful emotions; a man who was not always good to himself but was 
always good to others; a man who could say more with fewer words, or 
just a grunt or the tip of that crazy old hat of his, than anyone we 
ever knew.
    Now, I collected stories the last 3 or 4 days, and this was the 
odds-on winner: Bill Clark reminded me that in 1984 we had our first 
meeting in the Governor's office about the `84 campaign. And we were 
sitting there, and I began the meeting by saying that I had been so 
impressed with Hillary's no-smoking policy at the Governor's Mansion I 
was going to apply it to the Governor's office. Maurice got his hat, put 
it on, stood up, and started walking. I said, ``Where you going?'' He 
said, ``Birdeye.'' [Laughter] I said, ``I am applying the no-smoking 
policy of the Governor's Mansion to the Governor's office the day after 
this next election.'' [Laughter]
    He loved to help people. He loved a good fight. But he never sought 
to destroy his adversary. He loved political campaigns and legislative 
sessions. He never met a road or a bridge or a levee he didn't like. 
[Laughter] He loved the Fair Board and the University of Arkansas. He 
loved the land and the water and the people of this State. Most of all, 
he loved his family and his friends. He loved us. And how we loved him--
often more than I think he knew.
    Hillary was home a few weeks ago, and she went by to see Maurice in 
the hospital. And when she came back to Washington, she looked at me, 
she said, ``I just love that man.'' And she said, ``It seemed to me like 
everybody else in the hospital did, too.''
    I tried to call him over Thanksgiving, and then he called me back, 
and finally I got him back. We talked twice in the last week. The first 
time he said, ``I wanted to talk to you one more time. I don't think I'm 
going to get out this time, and I just want you to know I'm proud of 
everything we did together, and I love you.''
    Well, all of you know that I owe him a lot. He was the finance 
chairman of all my campaigns, the master of ceremonies at my 
inaugurations--ensuring that they would be brief--my chief of staff. He 
served on the university board; he ran the highway department; and on 
the side, he always lobbied for Jane's causes for the disabled.
    But when I was flying down here on Air Force One today, thinking I 
wouldn't be on this plane if it weren't for him, I thought of

[[Page 2131]]

a day 18 years ago, when some of us here were standing on the backyard 
of the Governor's Mansion after the 1980 elections. And I had just 
become the youngest former Governor in the history of America--
[laughter]--a man with limited future prospects. And that's pretty much 
the way I felt. And he put his hand on my shoulder, and he looked me in 
the eye, and he said, ``It'll be all right; we'll be back.''
    I wrote this before I knew the pastor was going to read to us from 
Luke today. I was thinking of that day today, as we all say farewell to 
this small man who had such a large impact on all our lives. We say to 
him, as he said to me so many years ago: Maurice, it'll be all right; 
God has promised you mercy because you were merciful to us; kindness 
because you were kind to us; forgiveness because you forgave us; love 
because you loved us with all your heart. So, farewell, old friend. I 
say to you what you said to me so many years ago: It'll be all right; 
you done good; we'll be together again before you know it.
    May God bless his soul.

Note: The President spoke at 3:05 p.m. at Wynne Presbyterian Church. In 
his remarks, he referred to Mr. Smith's widow, Jane; his son, William 
Maurice (Mark) Smith III; his daughters, Murray Smith Johnson and 
Annette Smith Stacy; and William E. Clark, owner, CDI Contractors.