Greg Smith, tells the story of how his father, J. Greg Smith, was inspired as the man behind Nebraska's "The Good Life" slogan. Photographed in Omaha on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023.
While the man who came up with one of Nebraska’s most famous slogans was born and raised in Wyoming, he found “the Good Life†in Nebraska and made sure others knew about it.
J. Greg Smith, who coined “Nebraska … The Good Life†and was also instrumental in the creation of the National Arbor Day Foundation and the Archway monument in Kearney, died Oct. 20 at the age of 95.
After graduating from the University of Wyoming, Smith began a 70-year career in advertising that focused on tourism.
A job early in his career as the editor of the national conservation magazine “Outdoor America†took him to Chicago. However, Smith wasn’t fond of the big-city lifestyle and the daily commute into downtown Chicago. He suggested moving back to Cheyenne, Wyoming, but his wife, Florence, wasn’t keen on the idea, Smith’s son Greg said.
“My mom said, ‘No, let’s not go back to Wyoming,’ but she had a compromise,†Greg said. “She said, ‘Let’s stop halfway between Chicago and Cheyenne,’ and that happened to be in Lincoln, Nebraska.â€
In Lincoln, Smith became the managing editor of “Outdoor Nebraska,†which later became the “Nebraskaland†magazine. He also was part of creating the NEBRASKAland Days event.
In the late 1960s, Smith became the executive director for the Old West Trail Foundation and worked on a promotional campaign with Kellogg’s, featuring the history of the Old West Trail states on the company’s cereal boxes, his son said.
Eventually, Smith started his own agency, J. Greg Smith Advertising, and began working with the tourism departments of both Nebraska and North Dakota.
At the time, Nebraska was looking for a new slogan because people in the eastern part of the state didn’t relate to the existing slogan, “Nebraskaland: Where the West Begins,†Greg Smith said.
His father sat down with Nebraska’s head of travel and tourism and head of economic development, and the three began discussing what Nebraska meant to them.
“It came up that the three of them really believed that Nebraska had a great quality of life, that the jobs were good, and that life here was generally good,†Greg Smith said. “And so my father said: ‘Aha, that’s it … Nebraska ... the Good Life.’â€
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Thus, the slogan was born — and it continues to greet highway drivers as they cross into Nebraska.
“I think that one reason why the slogan is still so strong is it’s just very authentic,†Greg Smith said. “It really kind of sums up what I think people really believe about what their state’s all about.â€
J. Greg Smith Advertising was based in Lincoln before moving to Omaha in 1984. Smith’s sons Greg and Jeff had been involved in the business since around 1978, Greg Smith said.
“The three of us pretty much worked together, hand in hand, for 45 years,†he said.
As the sons continue their father’s work in tourism, one of their ongoing projects is to promote road trip routes that include historic sites.
J. Greg Smith also was part of the creation of the Arbor Day Foundation for the 100th anniversary of Arbor Day.
A national campaign was created to promote Arbor Day and tree planting through TV and radio airtime donated by networks. Singer John Denver even joined in the effort, which led to more than 300,000 new members joining the foundation and millions of trees being planted, Greg Smith said.
Later, former Nebraska Gov. Frank Morrison reached out to J. Greg Smith looking for a way to commemorate Interstate 80 as the route of the historic trails to the west. Smith pitched an idea that would become the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument in Kearney.
Smith, who loved the circus, amassed a collection of approximately 120 wood carvings of circus cars from different circuses across the country. The collection will eventually be displayed in a museum in San Antonio, Texas.
Greg Smith left Nebraska briefly at the start of his own career, but he said it didn’t take long for him to return.
“It’s just something about Nebraska,†he said.
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Greg and Jeff Smith stand with a sign their father inspired. J. Greg Smith spent 70 years in advertising, with a highlight being coming up with the slogan “Nebraska ... the Good Life.â€