LUCKY ARMSTRONG

We called her "Lucky" because she weighed 7 pounds, eleven ounces when she was born and the doctor said "Seven come eleven - Here's your little Lucky." The family still calls her "Lucky." Lucky's husband Jim is the Dean of the Memphis Law School and Lucky has been running her own company, "Point of Contact" - under the moniker of "PJ Smoot" - Lucky won numerous dance competitions, with a variety of partners: Cliff Bigelow, John Buckner, Mike Mikita, Larry Kern, Michael Walker and several others. Here are a few pictures from the past. More will be added.

Lucky lost her 3 year battle with cancer on Wednesday, Nov. 22nd, 2006. Her funeral was in Memphis at St. Marks Cathedral, December 1st, 2006.

Younger days Birthday Dinner for Lucky w/ Daddy, Bob Armstrong
at the Moulon Rouge in Hollywood

Mike Mikita & Lucky win the World's            Lucky takes 1st place in Modern,
Fair Junior Dance Championship in New       Interpretive Dance - Long Beach
York City in 1961.                                       Ca. 1965.

Larry Kern with Lucky in competition Lucky for Business Portrait
(Larry's memorial was held in Palm Springs
on Saturday, June 2nd, 2007).

Patricia Jean Armstrong Smoot - 1948 - 2006

Patricia Jean (“PJ”) Armstrong Smoot was born on July 8, 1948, in Los Angeles, CA, and died on November 22, 2006, at her home in Memphis, TN, with her husband and family by her side. PJ grew up in Downey, CA, and graduated from Downey High School in 1966. Mentored by her mother, professional dance choreographer, Skippy Blair, PJ won the United States Junior Dance Championship at the New York Worlds Fair at the age of 13 and went on to become a dance instructor at age 17 and an adult champion in International Dance, Latin and Swing.

PJ obtained her undergraduate degree in English at USC, where she met her husband, James R. Smoot, the current Dean of the University of Memphis Law School. She obtained her MBA at New York University while working for Price Waterhouse and then commenced a 20 year career with International Paper in the field of human resources, serving as both Director and Division Vice President.

Upon her retirement from International Paper, PJ founded The Point of Contact, a business management consulting firm in Memphis and worked as an adjunct professor at the University of Memphis School of Business. Her articles on business management and leadership were featured in the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, Business Intelligence and the HR Strategic Review. She was a regular speaker at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and worked as a consultant to numerous non- profit organizations, including the Memphis Theological Seminary and the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee. She was the President of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Capital Campaign Committee for Playhouse on the Square and last year she was named as one of “Fifty Women Who Make a Difference” by Memphis Women’s Magazine.

PJ’s legacy as a problem solver, a negotiator, an advisor and an advocate of the least fortunate will be felt for many years to come. Memphis will always be a special place for her California family because of the love she had for the city and its people.

She is survived by her husband of 38 years, James R. Smoot; her parents, Skippy Blair, PhD and the Honorable Robert W. Armstrong and Eleanor Armstrong; sister, Cassandra Armstrong, brothers John Robert Armstrong, Robert Weaver Armstrong, II, and Raymond Scott Armstrong, all of California.

Services were held on Friday, December 1st, 2006, at Grace St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee.

A "Celebration of Life" was held on Tuesday night, JULY 24th, 2007, at the Marriott Hotel in Norwalk, CA. 13111 Sycamore Drive, Norwalk, Ca. 90650. All questions regarding the event should be directed to Skippy's office: 562-869-8949.

Email: Skippy@Skippyblair.com for information.