Biography
Year at ISU: 1945
Air Cadet Donald Ray Smith was born on March 7, 1923 to Glen W. Smith and Edith Hubrecht. He grew up in Iowa Falls, Iowa with two brothers. He graduated from high school in 1941. He studied engineering for a term at Iowa State College and worked for Douglas Aircraft company for time before entering the service.
lacked only a few hours of night flying training to get his wings and commission when he died. His plane crashed and burned near Memphis, Tennessee on January 14, 1945. Another cadet, Hugh J. Sisson IV of Baltimore, Maryland, also died in the crash.They had flown out of the Blytheville Army Air Field out of Blytheville, Arkansas to complete a cross-counrty night-flying mission. Donald had trained for almost two years, since entering the service at Miami Beach, Florida, in March 1943.
A friend and fellow Cadet, Ray C. Smith, accompanied Donald Smith's body home after the crash. Funeral services were held at the Congregational Church, Iowa Falls. He was buried in Union Cemetery.