Smith was hired from the Packet in 1986 to take over for the legendary Larry DuPraz, who had spent 40 years in various positions with the newspaper. After a six-month trial period, Smith began working full-time in what he called a very “hands-on” job.
He was initially in charge of ensuring that the ‘Prince’ went to press every morning, overseeing the physical placement of articles, advertisements and pictures before photographing the finished product at the end of the night and delivering the negatives to the printer in town.
Rick Klein ’98, a former editor-in-chief and current ‘Prince’ trustee who is the senior political reporter for ABC News, described Smith as “our rock, every night.”
“This wasn’t that long ago, but it was technologically eons ago,” he explained. “When I first got there, Brian would physically be pasting the ads onto the pages and shooting the negatives into the night, then driving them off to The Princeton Packet at the end of the night.”
“There was a sense of calm around him,” Klein added. “Every night, you knew you were in good hands ... The paper very literally would not have come out without him, there’s no question in my mind.”
‘Prince’ trustee and Washington Post reporter Zachary Goldfarb ’05, who oversaw the paper’s transition to a digital production system during his time as editor-in-chief, explained that Smith’s role was not limited to production.
“His second role was equally, if not more, important,” Goldfarb said. “[He was] a person who provided a lot of continuity to the undergraduates over the years.”
Smith spent significant time with the students in the office of the ‘Prince,’ and he described the relationships he cultivated as the highlights of his career with the paper. “Every year, just the friendship and the camaraderie of the [managing] board — having that camaraderie with the students was fantastic. It just did my heart good,” he said.
While the paper has changed both its production method and size in recent years, Smith has stayed on as his role has transitioned.
“The desktop publishing world has greatly enhanced and improved what the students can do on their own, as opposed to having to rely on a person like myself, a paid professional person,” Smith explained. “The production part now has fallen into the hands more of the undergrads. They can accomplish not just the editorial and journalistic side, but now they can also take care of the production.”
Klein explained that Smith’s focus allowed these transitions to come smoothly. “I’m always impressed by how he has adapted himself to new skills, and he very much understands that there are new ways to do things, and that you have to learn,” Klein said. “He’s really done his best to adjust to a fast-moving change in how newspapers are put out every day ... He’s somebody that’s had to learn and relearn his jobs three or four times in the last 20 years.”
“It’s basically put me in a position where I’ve had to rethink what my role is with the paper, and I had to turn more to the business side,” Smith noted. “As of four years ago, there was a campus newspaper delivery service that the ‘Prince’ had to rely on, and they went out of business so I saw an opportunity for me.”
Smith has since taken over delivering the paper around campus in the morning. “I’m glad I did it, because it’s a part of the Princeton community that I never really got to see before, meeting employees of the University and professors, and seeing all the buildings and the campus dining halls and eating clubs,” he said. “I’m still going to continue to do that [and] stay on in an advisory role.”
Smith said his time in the office has been a life-changing experience. “Twenty-four years,” he said. “It’s like I’ve had six Princeton educations. That’s the way I look at it. You guys can only get one four-year education, and I’ve had the opportunity to have six, and that’s something I’m always going to treasure.”
Richard Thaler ’73, the chair of the ‘Prince’ Board of Trustees and a former business manager, emphasized Smith’s importance to the paper’s development. “He carried on the spirit of the paper that Larry DuPraz started, and he was very loyal to the ‘Prince,’ ” Thaler said. “He was there for lots of people, for 24 years, and we’re going to miss him.”
“I treasure — and I use that word because I mean it — I treasure the time I’ve had at the ‘Prince,’ ” Smith said. “The paper’s been around for 133 years, and I think to myself, ‘How lucky am I to spend 24 years at a paper that’s been around for 133 years, to have affected so many lives, and have so many lives affect me?’ I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.”
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