We are inspired by Stephen Merrill Smith's uncle, the late William H. Merrill. Merrill served as Assistant Special Prosecutor during the Watergate trials. He grew up in Birmingham, a wealthy suburb of Detroit, enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II, graduated from Dartmouth College after the war, and earned his law degree at Yale University. In 1968 he served as the Michigan State Director of the campaign to elect Robert Kennedy to the Presidency.
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In his 60s, Merrill served the US Department of Justice and worked with Mr. Smith who was then serving the US Environmental Protection Agency as an Attorney/Adviser.  Together, Merrill and his nephew Smith successfully prosecuted several environmental criminals.

Although Merrill was severely debilitated by a sudden, massive stroke, he managed to write and publish "Watergate Prosecutor," a book about how Merrill put President Nixon's ruthless and infamous "Plumbers" in jail.