A former congressman and owner of community newspapers and printing plants in the Northwest including the White Salmon Enterprise was inducted into the Oregon Aviation Hall of Honor Oct. 18 at Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, Ore.
Denny Smith who lives in Salem, headquarters of the family-owned Eagle Newspapers, Inc., has been a pilot for more than 50 years. He served in both the U.S. Air Force and the Oregon Air National Guard, flying nearly 200 combat missions in Vietnam. He was awarded an Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters and ended his military service at the rank of Captain.
In civilian life, he flew for Pan American for 10 years. As an Oregon congressman from 1981 to 1991, he served on many committees related to the military and veterans affairs and was founder and co-chair of the Congressional Aviation Forum. He continues his involvement with aviation as the owner of Sun Quest NW Executive Air Charter and as a board member of the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum.
Each year the museum honors Oregon's finest in aviation -- men and women who have made important contributions to aviation and airpower in all fields including military, civilian, engineering, business, education and government.
Smith says "flying has been a part of my life as far back as I can remember, beginning with a dream to join the men in the B36s from Fairchild flying over my childhood home in John Day during WWII."
His interest was further fueled by spending time in the air with his father when he returned from the South Pacific. He was 16 when he earned his private pilot license.
His father, Elmo Smith, was a newspaper owner and served in the Oregon State legislature. As president of the Senate, he was elevated to the governorship upon the death of Gov. Paul Patterson in 1956. When his father died in 1968, the younger Smith became head of the family's newspaper business, which included weekly newspapers in four Oregon communities -- Madras, John Day, Hood River and Dallas. Under his leadership it has grown to include two dailies, six semi-weeklies, six weeklies, two weekly classified publications, six specialty publications, four printing operations and a mailing service located throughout Oregon, Washington and Idaho.
The family-owned corporation, following a tradition established by Elmo Smith, is dedicated to the community newspaper concept. Each publication is locally managed to best serve the community or region in which it is located.
Smith and his wife, Deanna, have a blended family of six adult children and eight grandchildren. Smith's daughter and two of his sons became licensed private pilots in their teens.
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