Proximity to History

Growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, only wearing shoes during the school year, Doug Smith was a child of the Depression, who joined the US Navy during the World War II. Though he had never before seen an ocean, he became the skipper of a patrol torpedo (PT 138) boat in the South Pacific. Seeking and sinking enemy cargo ships and severing Japanese supply lines, Ensign Smith had a front-row seat to the first use of kamikaze aircraft and the last clash of battleships in history. Twice held back in elementary school, he worked in punishing Ohio steel mills for college tuition. Ultimately earning his doctorate in psychology from the University of Michigan, he went on to teach at two universities and to become the founding president of Francis Marion University. Doug Smith personified the best qualities of his generation, personal responsibility, faithful commitment, a strong work ethic and prudent saving. The story of Walter Douglas Smith is the intersection of a colorful life journey and the history he passed through from 1918 to 2018.

-- Walt Smith