Oakland Billy Smith

[GPater11093]

Is this man still alive? Cant find anything that proves he is dead but apparently no one has tracked him down.

????

[GPater11093]

anyone know?

[Boxscribe]

I suppose it is possible that he is still around, though it is over 50 years since his last fight.

I seem to remember something about him working for the highway patrol in Nebraska (or somewhere similar) after he quit the ring. With such a common name I imagine it would be difficult to track him down.

[GPater11093]

Nice one at least i have something to go on.

There

[Boxscribe]

He used to be a prison officer when he was fighting, so the highway patrol is not too much of a stretch.

I am sure there was a post on here a while back (years in fact) where someone said they had seen him out the front of his house cutting the lawn or something similar. Apparantly, Mr Smith was pleasantly surprised that he was remembered/recognised.

Good luck with that and let me know if you find anything as I would be interested to know what happened to him. Another one of those fighters that appeared to fall off the face of the earth once out of the ring and the public eye.

[GPater11093]

would be great if i could find him, imagine the stuff he knows been in there with Moore, Burley etc...

[GPater11093]

I have contacted teh Nebraska highway patrol i await reply

[Dan1213]

Chuck Hasson states: The last I heard of Oakland (later Boardwalk) Billy Smith was that after he retired from the Ring in 1955 he remained with the Atlantic City Sheriff's Department. How long after this he stayed in the Atlantic City area I don't know.

[GPater11093]

Thanks Dan, Ill contact the Atlantic City Sherrif Department

[phlboxarc]

Greg, technically, Billy Smith worked for the Atlantic County NJ. Sheriff's Dept. which encompasses Atlantic City, and worked as a Deputy Sheriff in lock-up at Mays Landing, NJ.
Chuck Hasson

[GPater11093]

Thanks Chuck

I have contacted teh Atlantic City Library and i am awaiting reply.

Thanks for the extra detail as it all helps

[GPater11093]

Got this email from BoxScribe

'Hello Greg,

I found the newspaper link I was telling you about. It has some interesting facts about Billy Smith.

http://news.google.co.nz/newspapers?id=VDQyAAAAIBAJ &sjid=wOMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5556,649486&dq=jack+chase+ma nager&hl=en

Have fun!

Harry'

From this I managed to find out Smith was a devout Presbyterian so I have contacted the Presbyterian churches in Atlantic City to perhaps find his place of worship, thanks for the possible breakthrough.

Hope I can find him.

[oldschoolhistorian]

Did you try contacting Don Fraser in California? He is the President of the California Boxing Hall of Fame and he might know something about Oakland Billy Smith.