Loris Smith Dies

Longtime facilities exec Loris Francis Smith, 70, a key figure in the development of the arenas and stadium business, died of emphysema in Newton, N.J., September 22nd.

Before his 1998 retirement, Smith was chief operating officer of Ogden Entertainment in New York City.

Prior to that, he served as executive VP at Ticketmaster, and GM of Giants Stadium and the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford N.J.,and the Jacob Javitz Center in NYC.

The Minot, N.D., native was the first manager of Bismarck Civic Center – taking the job before all the bugs were worked out of the new building back in 1969. He moved on to manage the Coliseum in New Haven, Conn.