Oliver R. Smoot

Oliver Reed Smoot, Jr. (born 1940) was Chairman of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) from 2001 to 2002 and President of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) from 2003 to 2004.[1] In 2011 the American Heritage Dictionary admitted his decapitalized surname, "smoot", as one of the 10,000 new words added to their fifth edition. The term is named for Smoot from his undergraduate days when he was used as a unit of measure during a fraternity pledge activity.[2][3]

Biography

He received his Bachelor of Science from MIT and his Juris Doctor (law degree) from Georgetown University. Smoot, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, graduated from MIT with the class of 1962.

Smoot gave a speech to a hearing of the House Science Committee's Subcommittee on Technology on March 20, 2000, entitled "The Role of Technical Standards in Today's Society and in the Future".

He returned to MIT on October 4, 2008 for a 50th anniversary celebration,[4] including the installation of a plaque on the bridge. Smoot was also presented with an official unit of measurement: a smoot stick.[5] On May 7, 2016 he served as the grand marshal of the parade marking the centenary of MIT's moving from Boston's Back Bay into Cambridge.[6][7]

Currently, Oliver Smoot is retired and lives in San Diego, California with his spouse Sandra Smoot. He is also a representative of the MIT Education Council.

References

  1. ↑ "Speakers Bureau: Oliver R. Smoot". American National Standards Institute. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  2. ↑ Cornish, Audie (November 13, 2011). "Looking Up Words in a Book Not So Strange Yet". National Public Radio. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  3. ↑ "American Heritage Dictionary entry". American Heritage Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  4. ↑ Harris, David (October 7, 2008). "Say Hello to Mr. Smoot of Smoot Fame". Catanbrigia.
  5. ↑ "Smoot and roll". New Scientist (2671). August 27, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2015. (Subscription required (help)).
  6. ↑ Annear, Steve (January 25, 2016). "MIT to host 'Moving Day' parade and celebration". Boston Globe. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  7. ↑ Fleming, Nicole (May 7, 2016). "By land and by water, MIT celebrates 100 years in Cambridge". Boston Globe. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  • "The Role of Technical Standards in Today's Society and in the Future". Speech. Subcommittee on Technology: Hearing before the House Science Committee. Sep 13, 2000. Archived from the original on Dec 16, 2004. Statement of Oliver R. Smoot Acting Chairman, American National Standards Institute
  • "Smoot, Namesake of a Unit of Length, Retires". Interview. All Things Considered. NPR. Dec 7, 2005.
  • Curran, Susan (Dec 19, 2005). "A Salute to Smoot". Salute. Archived from the original on Jun 20, 2013. Smoot makes his mark in standards and measurements
  • Tavernor, Robert (2007). Smoot's Ear: the Measure of Humanity. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-12492-7. Archived from the original on Nov 4, 2013.


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