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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Charma Konnor

Vernald J. Smith (dec. 1992) enthusiastically contributed to both the aviation and aerospace industries as an engineer with McDonnell Douglas for 24 years. (1952-72; 1981-85). In the early years of his career, Mr. Smith developed a computerized system for tracking and statusing data for the Manned Orbital Lab Air Force Project. He planned and conducted aircraft flight tests and planned tests and evaluations for missile and space vehicle projects, including Saturn, as well as for the air launched ballistic missile program. Later in his career, Mr. Smith coordinated with NASA to provide Spacelab data. Mr. Smith's passion for flight surfaced notably when he was a senior at the University of Detroit, located in the automotive capital. He won honors in a prestigious tri-state aircraft design contest for his creation: an auto that converted into an airplane.