Fire and ice: Master glass blower Bill Smith's art form

He delicately twists and turns a thin glass tube — like a glittering icicle — over a flaming torch, as he molds it into the perfect shape. Bill Smith looks like he's concentrating on a masterpiece.

"Some call this an art form," he says.

Smith, UNT's master glass blower, builds and maintains glassware used in research experiments for the chemistry, physics and materials science departments. He makes everything from simple test tubes to intricate and complicated glass apparatus.

"Graduate students and professors bring me their glasswork designs, and I take their drawings and get to work," Smith says. "Some projects take me a few minutes; others can take several days and have several different processes."

The Stillwater, Okla., native began his career in 1962 with a research job at Texas Instruments then within a few years, moved into the TI glass shop. He says he enjoyed his time at the company, since he constantly saw new and innovative technology.

"It was really fun working for TI," Smith says. "Every day, people were inventing something new. I remember one time I rigged up some solar cells to operate my pocket radio. In those days, that was magic."

That wasn't his only work with solar cells at the company. While at TI, he got a chance to touch a part of history, by polishing the solar cells on TelStar, the first satellite to go into space from the United States.

After working with the company for 18 years, Smith went into business for himself, owning a glass shop in Denton. As a business owner, he was once asked to do an unusual piece of glasswork.

"I once built a glass piggy bank that ran in an international advertisement for an investment company," Smith says. "I really didn't want to do it, so I charged them $400 for a job that took me 20 minutes. I'd say that was pretty good."

Smith, whose mother worked in the chemistry department at Oklahoma State University, says he never gets bored with his job at UNT.

"I like to do different things all the time," Smith says. "This is the only work I have ever done that I didn't get bored with. I lose interest in things when they become easy for me. I still enjoy the challenge when something new comes in."

BY JENNY MCCORMACK paiswri2@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue:

• UNT dean of music hired
• UNT hires new men's basketball coach
• UNT leads Texas in number of Goldwater Scholarship winners
• Villarreal shares plans for future of UNT athletics program
• Inauguration only three weeks away
• Distinguished alumnus, Jazz Singers Voices featured April 27
• Gosh, I love working at the Mayborn Institute
• Faculty Senate approves electronic handbook posting
• Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center Planned
• UNT, state secretary build online Texas Register
• UNT's public administration program ranked 12th in U.S.
• TAMS students named Coca-Cola scholarship finalists
• UNT to host National Youth Sports Program

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