TILTON — U.S. Navy and WWII Veteran, Dwight Smith Jr., recently celebrated his 100th birthday at the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton with family, fellow veterans, and staff.
Smith attended Mt. Herman Academy, graduating at age 16. Two years at Green Mountain College in Vermont was the next stop on his track in life, before being drafted in the Navy in1943. After basic training at Great Lakes, Smith trained in electronics, becoming a radar operator third class. While on the battleship U.S.S. South Dakota, Smith made known his math skills, which landed him in the belly of the ship doing equations for ordinances. He graduated from the Navy V-12 program at Dartmouth College class of ’47 as the only student with combat experience.
He received his honorable discharge in April 1946. He accepted an entry-level position with Boston and Maine Railroad. He rose through the ranks over 26 years, earning a reputation for detail, which found him at age 30, the youngest station manager in Springfield, Vermont. During this time, Smith married Gertrude Emm, who together raised four children; two girls and two boys.
When visiting Conway, Smith noticed the train station in town center. He inquired, expressing an interest in developing it and a three-way partnership was forged with local businessmen Carroll Reed and Bill Levy. This new venture, the Conway Scenic Railway, saw Smith purchase a steam locomotive, which would become the Conway Scenic Railroad’s workhorse and calling ard in years ahead. Future owners would rename the engine the Dwight Smith” in August of 2019.
His keen eye also discovered an 1898 Pullman Parlor Car, which was in need of many improvements. Four winters of rehabilitation at the hands of the entire family saw the Gertrude Emma take her place in the railroad yard as one of the oldest revenue earning Pullmans in the world.
Smith joined the New Hampshire Veterans Home in 2020. In August 2022, he was honored with a congressional medal of honor on behalf of his father's, Dwight Smith Sr., actions during WWII.
When asked what piece of advice he would offer, Dwight quipped, “Stay on the right track.”
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