Great Falls resident Norma Ashby Smith was recently honored with the Governor's "Spirit of Montana" award, recognizing her decades-long career in broadcasting and her significant impact on the Montana community.
Smith said the award came to her as a surprise.
"I had no idea. All my husband told me was, 'Well, we're just going to another meeting.' Well, we go to so many meetings that I just assumed that was fine. But then, when he started speeding across the 10th Street Bridge, I thought, wow, why is he going so fast? Well, he promised to be here at a certain time, and that's why he was going so fast."
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Smith's broadcasting career began in the 1960s with KRTV as a host and producer for the TV show "Today in Montana."
Over the next 26 years, she became a familiar and trusted presence in homes across the state, hosting more than 7,000 live television shows, interviewing over 26,000 guests, and producing 21 television documentaries.
Her guests ranged from movie stars and national figures to ranchers, artists, and community leaders, helping bring Montana’s people and stories to life.
She recalled, "Twenty-six years of doing that daily show, 260 shows a year, 26,000 guests, it never got boring. It was lots of fun. It was the heyday of Montana live television."
From Presidents John Kennedy to Ronald Reagan, and the most well-known Hollywood celebrities during their time, such as Clint Eastwood and Joan Crawford, Norma met them many notable people.
Other celebrities included Bob Hope, Evel Knievel, Vincent Price, Oliva DeHavilland, and Johnny Cash.
She says her most memorable experience was back in 1967 when she had Cyril Colarchek, a rancher from Raynesford, on the show: "And what he did was he told all about rattlesnakes, and then he decided to slaughter it right on the air. And 13 baby rattlesnakes spilled out onto the floor and I'm terrified of rattlesnakes anyway."
In recognition of her leadership in broadcasting, she was named Television Broadcaster of the Year in 1985 and in 2010 was the second woman inducted into the Montana Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. She also published her memoir, Movie Stars & Rattlesnakes: The Heyday of Montana Live Television, chronicling her time in live television in Montana.
Great Falls History Museum director Connie Constan said Smith is part of an exhibit featuring several other notable Montana women.
"Norma Ashby Smith occurred to everyone as one of the important, feisty women in the Great Falls area. She's been so integral in the history in Great Falls. She's a name and a face that everybody recognizes who's grown up in this city," Constan said.
Ashby Smith said it's a joy to be part of the History Museum and finds it fun to be called a feisty woman.
"I've never been called that. And so I've enjoyed that new title as one of the five feisty women. This is the first year they've done this, and so I'm very proud to sit beside all these wonderful women that are here with me," Smith said.
Constan said it was not surprising at all that the governor selected Smith for the Spirit of Montana Award.
"Norma is the epitome of a Montanan and somebody who very clearly wants to contribute back to this community and the entire state. She takes pride in being a Montanan and loves sharing that with people everywhere," Constan said.
Smith led in the founding of the C.M. Russell Art Auction and was named Television Broadcaster of the Year in 1985. She remains active in the community with her church, Great Falls Rescue Mission and the History Museum.
