A former member of the Madison, Wis., Chapter who was better known as the
first baritone and last surviving original member of the Buffalo Bills has
died, according to confirmation just received from his widow.

Herschel Smith, 84 or 85 years old, of Antigo, Wis., was profiled in the
July/August edition of The Harmonizer (page 18-19) which marked the 50th
anniversary of "The Music Man" and the Buffalo Bills on Broadway.

Smith had left the original Bills for a job reassignment from Buffalo to
Madison before the Broadway opportunity. He was replaced by Dick Grapes,
the cover subject of the Harmonizer issue who left the group before "The
Music Man" premiered and was replaced by Scotty Ward.

Mike Liscum of Madison, who was in the Madison Chapter when Herschel Smith
moved from Buffalo and joined the Chapter, just got a Christmas card from
Arlene Smith with a note confirming her husband's death. (Mike was an
active member of the Madison Chapter until earlier this year when he
retired.)

She said Herschel was in a care center in Antigo when he died Aug. 5, about
10 minutes after he had serenaded the nurse who had delivered his breakfast
to his room. Arlene said a memorial service was held at Antigo, for which
she -- a long-time singer herself who sang frequently with Herschel -- sang
for him a final time.

She's now in an assisted living facility in Atlanta, near a daughter, for
the winter, and plans to return to Antigo in the spring.

Herschel and Arlene had homes in both Antigo and Florida, but they stayed in
Antigo last winter for reasons of health. They had been talking about
moving to Madison year-round.

They were profiled in the Antigo Journal in May this way:

"A long-standing tradition continued at Elcho's Memorial Day ceremonies
Monday, when Arlene and Herschel Smith stepped to the microphone and led the
crowd in singing 'The Star-Spangled Banner'.

"The Smiths, summer residents of the Knights Templar Club at Duck Lake, have
been making beautiful music together for the better part of six decades,
including a long return engagement for the May services at the Elcho and
White Lake cemeteries.

"'It's been part of our life', Arlene Smith says. 'It blends in with
everything we've done'.

"The couple did not sing at the Summit Lake Cemetery this year. Herschel,
who served in the Marine Corps in World War II, sat quietly in his chair
while Arlene marched with the American Legion Auxiliary.

"But when the Elcho High School marching band struck up the opening chords
of the national anthem at the Elcho Cemetery, the Smiths were ready, and
rose to the microphone.

"'Memorial Day is always very special', Mrs. Smith says. 'When I get there,
it just chokes me up thinking about the people who you can no longer talk to
and what they have given for their country'.

"The Smiths have sung and performed for decades, including at some
impressive venues before large crowds. But patriotic occasions-and
especially Memorial Day-occupy a unique niche.

"'It was very special', Mrs. Smith says. 'Yesterday was special'."

You can read more about Smith and the Madison Chapter's Web tribute to him
at http://www.madison.com/communities/chord/pages/buffalobills

To see the photo which accompanied the Antigo article:
http://www.antigodailyjournal.com/full.php?id=6094

Mike McCoy
Madison, Wis., Chapter