Don C. Smith, former Presque Isle teacher, coach and athletic director, was born in Presque Isle Sept. 25, 1918. Even though the farm he grew up on was in Presque Isle, he attended Easton schools and later graduated from the University of Maine in 1940.
He was always an outstanding athlete in high school, playing baseball and basketball; he also won many ski and snowshoe events which were popular at the time. Smith raced to a state snowshoe record in the 100-yard dash. He was also undefeated on snowshoes in the 100, 440 and mile in both his junior and senior years.
Easton High School did not offer track, but did sponsor cross country, which Smith really enjoyed. He loved to run, and while working on the farm developed a strong body from hours of daily work. In his junior year, Smith probably would have won the state meet had it not been for an accident. While staying at Orono the night before the race and walking home from the movies, Smith was struck by a car and ended up in the hospital. In his senior year, he won the cross country title in Houlton. While at Easton High School, he earned varsity letters four consecutive years in four different sports.
Smith entered the University of Maine in 1936 and participated in track and cross country. It did not take him long to achieve success that fall as he won the freshman race at the New England Cross Country Championship. He went on to win the New England Intercollegiate Cross Country Championship at the varsity level three consecutive years.
Smith also fared well in the IC4A cross country, as well. He placed sixth as a freshman, fourth as a sophomore, third as a junior and fifth as a senior. He also enjoyed success in track, breaking the University of Maine mile frosh record by more than six seconds with a time of 4:19.4. Smith went on to win three straight state meets in the 880 and mile, and added five individual New England track championships in these events. In one New England championship meet at New Hampshire during his junior year, he raced to victory in both the mile and 880, tying meet records in both events (4:18.6 and 1:54.4, respectively).
In the IC4A track and field championships, Smith placed second in his senior year in the mile. In other national level competitions, he was invited to compete in the 1939 NCAA Championships in Los Angeles and was among a field of 21 in the mile. He took sixth, running his fastest mile ever, 4:13. He was only five seconds off the world record for the mile. On that same trip, he captured second in the mile in the National Junior AAU meet on July 3 in Lincoln, Neb. The following day he entered the Senior AAU mile and competed against the world mile record holder Glenn Cunningham. Cunningham took fourth in the event and Smith fifth.
Don Smith was considered one of the best middle distance runners in the nation during the late 1930s. He would likely have competed in the Olympics if World War II had not interfered. In 1946, while playing baseball for the Easton town team, he was in the process of fielding a ground ball at third base and the base runner threw a body block that injured his knee. Smith would never run again.
Later in life he was inducted into the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame (1986), Maine Sports Hall of Fame (1991), and the Maine Running Hall of Fame (1997). He also received many honors in college. He was chosen Sophomore Owl and Senior Skull, received the Pale Blue Key Scholarship, and held offices in Men’s Student Senate, Inter-fraternity Council, M Club and Maine Athletic Association. He joined Phi Eta Kappa fraternity and served as president his senior year.
Don Smith farmed, taught high school and coached for 28 years. He taught in Mars Hill, Easton and Presque Isle. Smith coached a variety of sports including basketball, skiing, track and served as athletic director at Presque Isle High School for 12 years. He retired from teaching in 1978.
He was married to Glenna Johnson Smith and they had three children: Steve, Byron (Barney) and Mel. He later married Elza Osgood Smith. Don passed away Jan. 23, 2007 at the age of 88.
Information for this article was provided by the Maine Running Hall of Fame and Maine Sports Hall of Fame Web sites, as well as the Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library. If you wish to comment on this article, call me at (207) 764-1217.
Photo courtesy of Jim Carter
DON C. SMITH, former Presque Isle teacher, coach and athletic director, was an outstanding athlete in both high school and college. Smith, who was considered one of the best middle distance runners in the nation during the late 1930s, was inducted into the Maine Running Hall of Fame in 1997.
