Howard W. Smith was born on November 24, 1929. He received his B.S. and M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University in 1951 and 1958. He earned a Ph.D in Aerospace Engineering from Oklahoma State University in 1968. From 1951-1970, he worked in various positions at The Boeing Company in Wichita, Kansas. In 1970 he became an Associate Professor at the University of Kansas. He was made a Professor in 1977; he retired in 1995. He was appointed Associate Dean of the School of Engineering in 1974. He published numerous books and journal articles and held two patents. He was involved in numerous civic activites including K.U. Track and Field Offical (1971-1995), being a Douglas County 4-H Rocketry Superintendent, and being active with the Cub Scouts of America. He was also one of several K.U. faculty members involved in the design of Poliedro de Caracas in Venezuela, which was, at the time, the world's largest geodesic dome. He was married to Esther; they had six sons, Nick, Mike, Anthony, Geoffrey, James, and Andrew and one daugher, Elizabeth. Howard Smith died on September 30, 1998.