Pioneer of Aviation by Carol Donahue
After the Wright Brothers and others gave exhibition flights in Europe and the USA in 1908, aviation became the next big thing. Ambitious young men and women tested their courage in aeroplanes built by a growing industry. Victor Morris Smith was one of them. Sadly, his promising career was cut short in one of the many fatal crashes of the era.
Victor was a graduate of Mountain View High School’ s class of 1910, where the senior directory lists his nickname as Vic and his favorite expression as“ That’ s the candy!” Vic could usually be found“ under the auto.” His greatest charm was his gentle laugh; his greatest fault was stubbornness.
Later that year, Victor Smith began civil engineering studies at Stanford University. Building on his high school track training, he was one of two freshmen to win a place on the varsity track team. As a sophomore, Smith took a leave of absence to become one of the first students at the Curtiss Flying School in San Diego.
The school was started by Glenn Curtiss, who later became known as the Father of Naval Aviation. Victor completed two months of flight training and qualified for his pilot’ s license. He demonstrated his skills by flying a Curtiss biplane with a 50-horsepower motor over San Diego for 10 minutes and 45 seconds, completing five figure eight formations, and landing within a 50-foot radius. Then, he flew to an altitude of 165 feet and repeated the exercises, breaking world records for time in the test.
Upon his return to Mountain View, Victor Smith planned a series of exhibition and cross country flights to satisfy a curious public willing to pay for entertaining thrills. He advertised a flight from
Onlookers at Smith’ s wreckage in a local orchard
Mountain View to Ravenswood near Palo Alto. The Mountain View Register-Leader reported on July 12, 1912, that“ Tickets may be bought at any store in town.”
At the eleventh hour, a Curtiss biplane model that he used at aviation school became unavailable. To avoid disappointing the hometown crowd, he obtained a flimsy biplane made by an Oakland amateur aviator. His alarmed parents and friends could not convince Victor to abandon the project. Setting aside his own doubts, Victor put a letter from his fiancée in his pocket for good luck and took off.
Just before his scheduled landing, the engine died and a crowd of 400 watched Victor Morris Smith fall to his death. On July 13, 1912, the New York Times reported“ The aeroplane was caught by a gust of wind as Smith was circling to the ground, and fell fifty feet …. The machine turned turtle, and Smith was hurled earthward with great force and pinioned beneath the wreckage.”
Funeral services were held at the family home the day after the tragic accident. His grief-stricken parents then accompanied his remains to Evansville, Indiana, where he was born and then laid to rest among his forebears.
Thanks to Pamela Baird and James Thajudeen for research contributions.
Spotlight
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Laura and her mother Lydia in 2018.
Laura had a passion for travel. She was thrilled when she received a scholarship to study at Regis University, a private Jesuit School in Denver, Colorado. Her first foray into politics was in the school’ s student government.
After college, Laura worked at Rolm Corporation, spending long hours in field tech support. She saved her earnings and bought a condo at the Old Mill complex on Showers Drive. She also started volunteering at the Support Network for Battered Women and then the Community Services Agency. She served on Mountain View’ s Parks and Recreation Commission, as the city was acquiring land for miniparks and defining its long-term parks plan.
When Sally Lieber was elected to the California Assembly, Laura served on Sally’ s staff. In 2004, Laura was elected to the city council, serving as mayor in 2007. Laura led the fight against Home Depot locating at the San Antonio Shopping Center. The story gained national attention, and Laura was even insulted by Rush Limbaugh. Laura notes that had Home Depot located at San Antonio, Mountain View would never have been able to build the area into the diverse, regional shopping and residential area it is today.
Laura’ s advice to young people seeking a political career is,“ Get involved early and learn as much as you can.” She adds,“ Those who represent us are here to serve us.”
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