OKLAHOMA CITY Troy N. Smith Sr., the founder of the drive-in that became the Sonic chain, died earlier this week in Oklahoma City. He was 87.
ASonic spokeswoman said Smith died at an Oklahoma City hospital on Monday after a recent decline in health.
Smith opened the Top Hat root beer stand in Shawnee, Okla., in 1953, and it became the Sonic Drive-In chain, which now has nearly 3,600 units in 42 states.
Born in 1922, Smith grew up in east-central Oklahoma. After serving in the Army Air Corps, Smith drove milk and bread trucks and owned several cafes and restaurants before opening the Top Hat.
He pioneered the use of angled and covered parking, along with an intercom speaker system that allowed customers to place orders without leaving their cars. Top Hat’s slogan became: “Service With the Speed of Sound.”
He partnered with Charlie Pappe of Woodward, Okla., to open Top Hats in three other communities: Stillwater, Woodward and Enid. An attempt to copyright the Top Hat name in 1958 failed, so Smith and Pappe looked up “speed of sound” in the dictionary and discovered the word “sonic.” The first Sonic opened in Stillwater, Okla.
Smith is survived by his wife of almost 70 years, Dollie, his daughter, Leslie Baugh, his son, Troy “Butch” Smith, Jr., as well as eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Amemorial service is planned for 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, at the First Christian Church in Edmond, Okla.
Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].