Smokeout marks its anniversary

Mr. Alan Portner is a good friend who has been the CEO, COO, Publisher, etc. of numerous news publications across the United States. At the present time Alan is the Treasurer of Washington Independent Writers (WIW) and serves as the Advertising Director of the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association. We welcome his input to the Fourth Estate and his ideas on The Great American Smokeout.

So with our appreciation:

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This week marks the anniversary of what finally became "The Great American Smokeout". Thursday is that one day each year when thousands of Americans quit smoking for a day at the behest of the The American Cancer Society and a small town newspaper publisher named Lynn Smith. The Smokeout is just one of those things that "goes to show you" what kind of a difference one man with a good idea can make.

Lynn Smith is the retired publisher of the Monticello Times in Monticello, Minnesota. In 1953, Monticello was a bustling rural metropolis of about 1700 souls. Like many hard-bitten newsmen of the post war era, Smith was one hard working, hard smoking, son of a gun. You can imagine him composing his tiny weekly newspaper with a cup of coffee in one hand, an inky proof in the other, and a cigarette dangling from his lips.

Back in 1953, Smith came to the conclusion that cigarette smoking was hurting him and hurting his town. Over the years, he became a crusader against tobacco use. He quit smoking himself. He encouraged everyone who would listen that they should quit the nasty habit in editorials that became more pointed by the year.

Twenty years passed and a challenge was issued. Originally christened as "D-Day" in Monticello, several hundred community leaders signed a one day pledge to quit smoking for 24 hours in November of 1973. Well, the program snowballed (an appropriate thing to do in November in Minnesota) and almost every adult smoker in the town agreed to participate. Amazingly, a significant number of Monticello' s smokers quit for good.

Statewide publicity followed and, as the years passed, the idea spread and became statewide for Minnesotans. By 1976, "D-Day" had migrated to California. The Cancer Society and the American Lung Society took ownership and the event became known as "The Great American Smokeout." A feature film on Smith's campaign called "Cold Turkey" was produced starring Dick Van Dyke. The program has since gone national and international.

Smoking hit its high point in 1963. Each adult averaged 4,345 cigarettes per year. Today half as many cigarettes are consumed. Only half the number of adults still puff away as 37 years ago.

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