Oral History Interview with Richard Smith, January 18, 2017

Oral History Interview with Richard Smith, January 18, 2017

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Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard, Rick, Smith. Smith was born in El Paso, Texas in October of 1939. His parents were Arden Smith and Winnie Mae Wilson Smith, formerly Hagee. Winnie is the older sister of Michael Hagee, President and CEO of the Admiral Nimitz Foundation. Arden died in 1945, and Rick’s grandparents came to live with he and his mother. Bob Hagee, Michaels’s father, had property north of Fredericksburg, Texas, close to Boot Ranch today. Rick, Winnie and his grandparents moved to this property around the early 1950s. Rick graduated from high … continued below

Physical Description

50 p.

Creation Information

Smith, Richard January 18, 2017.

Context

This text is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this text can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Smith, Richard

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

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Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard, Rick, Smith. Smith was born in El Paso, Texas in October of 1939. His parents were Arden Smith and Winnie Mae Wilson Smith, formerly Hagee. Winnie is the older sister of Michael Hagee, President and CEO of the Admiral Nimitz Foundation. Arden died in 1945, and Rick’s grandparents came to live with he and his mother. Bob Hagee, Michaels’s father, had property north of Fredericksburg, Texas, close to Boot Ranch today. Rick, Winnie and his grandparents moved to this property around the early 1950s. Rick graduated from high school in 1957, at which time the Nimitz Hotel also served as a bus station. Rick shares numerous stories of Fredericksburg back in the 1950s through the date of this interview, and how the Nimitz Hotel and surrounding property has changed over the years. After retiring from the Navy as an Aviation Machinist Mate in 1977, Rick ran his own service station. In 1980, he was hired by Doug Hubbard as the Maintenance Chief for the Admiral Nimitz State Historical Park and Museum, and he recalls their grand opening on November 11, 1983 and meeting General Jimmy Doolittle, General Paul Tibbets and Joe Foss. Rick recalls when the HA-19 Japanese mini-submarine and torpedo bomber were installed in the Museum. He provides generous details of how the museum buildings, staff and property have morphed throughout the last 40 years.

Physical Description

50 p.

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Text

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this text in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH04683
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1607113

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Richard Smith, January 18, 2017 - ark:/67531/metapth1610759

Collections

This text is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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