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My journey ends here...

SMITH Lois

Lois Weber Smith.

Born Lois Eileen Wollenweber.

Date of birth : March 1st, 1928, Brooklyn.

Date of death : October 7, 2012, Lewiston, Maine.

Story

Her parents were Henry Wollenweber (October 11, 1896, New York-September 7, 1941, Rockville Center) and Jessie Watkins (1897, Newfoundland-February 1966).
Her father was manager of the Real Estate Department at the New York Trust Company.
She had a brother Henry Lane (July 26, 1935, Rockville Center) who worked for the Columbia Broadcasting System TV Network.

She grew up in Malverne, Long Island.
In 1950, she graduated BA in Communications at the University of Southern California.

On February 27, 1965 she married Eugene "Gene" J.Smith, financial reporter at the New York Times.
They had 4 children : Eric (1955) (born from Eugene Smith first wedding), Scott Eugene (1959-August 3, 1985

from a surfing accident), Luke (March 1966) and Brooke (May 22, 1967)(

).When Scott died, they set up a scholarship fund in his name at the Hebron Academy where Gene had studied in 1943 and where Scott was a student.

Once graduated, she worked as a writer at the Time magazine. Being a woman, she had to work hard to

prove her worth. She looked for other jobs as reporter, but the doors were closed. She finally started to work with Ted Saucier, the esteemed public relations agent of the Waldorf-Astoria. That was what launched her in the PR's world.

She left Saucier to create with Rupert Allan theAllan-Weber Agency, before joining the Allan,

Foster, Ingersoll & Weber agency at the beginning of the 1960' (

).
In the 1950', she worked for the Arthur Jacobs Company; the first client she represented was actress Shelley Winters.
The agency headquartered at 132 South Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills where worked Rupert Allan, David Foster and Rick Ingersoll. Lois worked at the New York's office, 567 Madison Avenue, with Christopher Allan.
In Paris the agency was represented with Nadia M.LaCoste; in Roma, with Chris Hofer; in London with Phyllis Earl.

In 1969, she founded the Pickwick Public Relations with Pat Kingsley, Gerry Johnson and Patricia Newcomb.
Lois and Johnson were in New York while Pat Kingsley and Newcomb were in Los Angeles.
At that time, the studio publicists system was ending. Every PR was its own, it was a great time to be in this business.
They had few clients, but A-list ones, such as Candice Bergen, Robert Redford (

) or Raquel Welch.

She represented therafter Gina Lollobrigida (

), Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep (

), Michelle Pfeiffer, Sean Penn, Robert Altman, William Hurt, Rosie O'Donnell, Whitney Houston, Marlee Matlin.
She worked a lot; every day she went to her office but she didn't do the show business life at night; she went back home and took care of her family.

In 1978, she wanted to work in production and joined the Marble Arch firm. Then she became executive producer at United Artists for movies such as "Sophie's Choice" or "Yentl".
Afterwards, she returned to the world she knew well and in 1982 founded with Peggy Siegel the Smith & Siegel Agency.

In 1985 she incorporated the PMK/HBH that Pat Kingsley had founded with Michael Maslansky, Leslee Dart and Neil Koenigsberg. PMK would become one of the world's most coveted public-relations agencies, that would define norms for newspapers and magazines. Its influence would determine the very interview questions, as to steer away from sensitive subjects like cocaine addictions and broken marriage.

In 2001 she received the Matrix Award in communication.
She retired in 2001 and lived in the family house in Plum Island, Massachussetts.

In March 2003 she received the Publicist Guilde Lifetime Award.

In 2005, with Michelle Fino she created the Newsburyport Documentary Film Festival.

With Michelle Fino, she ran the Plum Island Public Relations, which promoted local events.

In 2008 she founded with Michelle Fino and Bonnie Johnson the Wild Plum Public Relations firm.

even in retirement, she was member of the Board of Trustees for the Newbury Library; she was active with the "Friends of the Newsbury Library", helping raise money and find books.
She worked as a consultant for the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline.

In 2012 she was at the Hebron Academy where, along with her husband, they were honored for their fund-raising efforts for the scholarship created in their son's name.
During the night, she fell and died from a brain hemorrhage on October 7, 2012.

Other pictures of Lois Weber