Finale is Dec 3rd @ Hoosier Theatre!!!
American Legion Post 185 Sponsorship of Notable #13

MLK's famous quote says,

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

If there were ever a perfect example of when that sentiment should have been followed, it is in the life of Eugene Smith, formerly of Florence, Indiana. Eugene was born with white and American Indian ancestry and the doctor who delivered him wrote on his birth certificate "COL", meaning "colored". This began his story of bigotry and prejudice that followed him for most of his 94 years.

Eugene Smith, Aviator and Flight Instructor, Battled Prejudice Most of Life Archived picture by Mike Jones Finishing high school and then college, Mr. Smith then entered the Army Air Corps. (the Air Force wasn't a separate branch until 1947) Upon enlistment, his superiors wouldn't have shown their prejudice based on skin color, but certainly did upon checking his birth certificate. Seeing the designation "COL" they declined to allow him to do his flight training with the "white" soldiers. They sent him to Tuskegee, Alabama to train with the mostly African American pilots.

From here the story of discrimination doesn't get better. Eugene, much later in life, was quoted as saying he experienced "reverse racism" while at Tuskegee. This form of prejudice can somewhat be confirmed if we look at the story of George Hardy who was another "fair-skinned" Tuskegee, but George labelled what he experienced as animosity by both whites and blacks. Eugene also recalls being treated differently by his Colonel, who was African American. More on that in just a minute.

Granted, we have 70 years as armchair quarterbacks to judge those situations. At the very least, I can imagine some African American pilots being very weary and skeptical of this fair skinned trainee. I can also imagine his base superiors being skeptical of his presence in the elite "All African American" Tuskegee Airmen as segregation was the norm in the military until the late 1940's. On a more positive thought, I can also imagine that there are stories of acceptance and friendships that never got reported.

Every bit of it is just ugly. We know there will always be room for improvement, but to deny that we've made no progress from this type of bias and prejudice is simply absurd. Moving on....

Eugene Smith did finish his training and was placed into active service in Africa and Europe as part of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, red tails and all. He participated in escorting bombers and raids on Hitler's oil fields. He once survived a mission thought unsurvivable, by simply taking his plane to 35000 feet plus in order to save fuel. His Colonel, Colonel Davis, accused him of hearing voices and abandoning his mission, and despite proof otherwise had him transferred state-side to be checked out by hospitals. He was quickly proven flight worthy and returned to service, and assigned to teach other students back at Tuskegee.

After Tuskegee shut down, he chose to return to Ohio to continue helping pilots fly by instrument. Upon arrival, his new commander was the same Colonel Davis who transferred him before. This time Colonel Davis forced him into the reserves. He was honourably discharged with the rank of Lieutenant. Beginning near the end of his service, Smith earned a law degree and then moved to Cincinnati where he practised law for 50+ years, continuing, in part, his fight for integration of all races.

Eugene Smith with his well deserved Congressional Gold Medal Image rights archive.ph After retiring from the practice of law, Smith took up residence on a houseboat in Florence. He enjoyed the company of many of Switzerland County's faces and was a member of the Patriot Baptist Church. He spent the better part of 20 years here before his passing.

In 2008 during a ceremony at the American Legion Post 185, Smith received the Congressional Gold Medal for his service during WWII. In 2011, his name was emblazoned alongside Major Sam Woodfill on a monument near the Veterans Memorial. He stated at this second ceremony

"It's really a privilege to live in Switzerland County."
I never got the chance to meet Mr. Smith, but if there were ever a Notable to claim, Switzerland County is privileged to have had Mr. Eugene Smith among its citizens.

References:

https://www.vevaynewspapers.com/?s=eugene+smith https://archive.ph/20130121184134/http://eaglecountryonline.com/news.php?nID=4655 https://cafriseabove.org/eugene-d-smith/

Other Lingering Questions:

  • Why did the town marshal have to hide him in a lumber yard?
  • What did Eugene name his plane?
  • How did Eugene finally get his medal after being denied one at Rickenbacker Air Base near Columbus, Ohio?
    • Bias or red rudder he did not choose and still boldly served. Approaching it right, we dedicate in stone, an honor well deserved.

    The Clue

    The clue stated "Bias or red rudder he did not choose and still boldly served. Approaching it right, we dedicate in stone, an honor well deserved." "dedicate in stone, an honor well deserved" would have been a pretty easy clue to point a hunter to one of the many memorials in Switzerland County. "Red Rudder" might have stumped a few, but I think eventually "red tail" would have been matched. Combining "red tail" and "memorial" would have landed you to the name Eugene Smith. The background image was a picture of obelisk at the Switzerland County Courthouse. It was a nod to helping you find Key #10.

    The Location

    I didn't want to distract any hunter from admiring any of the folks who are etched in stone. So by saying "Approaching it right", I hoped the hunters would have paused just before the memorials, so the location of Key#13 was just under the fencing on the right side before you get to the memorials.