Smith, Blanchard Drake, Jr., 2006 May 16

This is a Living History interview with Blanchard Drake Smith, Jr., class of 1945, conducted by Marilyn Somers on May 16, 2006 at his home in Alexandria, Virginia. The subject is the interviewee’s life, and experiences at Georgia Tech.

Mr. Smith was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1925. His father attended Georgia Tech and earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Mr. Smith’s father went on to become an inventor for Scripto Manufacturing Company. Mr. Smith’s mother met her husband while working in the postal telegraph office. Mr. Smith started school in New Orleans, but then his family moved to Atlanta. He attended Boys’ High and then decided to go to Tech. Mr. Smith was very involved during his two years at Tech. He was a member of ANAK, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, Alpha Tau Omega, the Interfraternity Council, the Rambling Wreck Club, the Bulldog Club, and was the editor of the Blueprint one year. Mr. Smith met his wife, Mary, at an Interfraternity Dance. He went to Tech around the time of World War II, but remembers the attitude on campus being an optimistic one. Students were a little wary about the Pacific Theater. Mr. Smith joined the Naval ROTC after being convinced by a good friend, George Griffin. After graduation, he was stationed in St. Simons Island, where he asked Mary to marry him. In St. Simons, Mr. Smith taught officers how to operate and handle surface and air search radars. He stayed in St. Simons for two years until he had earned enough points to leave active duty. After leaving active duty, Mr. Smith and his family moved to Massachusetts, where he earned his Masters degree in Electrical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. Smith then worked for Melpar Incorporated for twenty-five years and was assigned to many classified projects. He holds six patents with Melpar. He created the equipment to capture the telemetry signal from the Soviet Union. After Melpar, Mr. Smith worked for Sensytech as a chief engineer. Sensytech received a contract from the National Security Agency to put equipment on ships to enable them to measure the altitude with surface search radars. Mr. Smith came up with the idea of mounting to radars together at an angle, so they could catch the altitude of the Soviet planes. Mr. Smith was on the advisory board for the Electrical Engineering program at Tech. Mr. Smith has five children. His son, Drake, went to Tech and majored in Physics. Drake worked for the company Mr. Smith started, ASTEC. Drake’s first daughter, Stacia, was the fourth Smith generation to go to Tech and she majored in Management. Mr. Smith’s wife is in the Bridge Club and the local Women’s Club. He is involved in the Kiwanis Club and the Sons of the American Revolution. Mr. Smith is also very interested in genealogy. Dr. James Boyd, a Tech professor, wrote a book about the history of the Smiths. Mr. Smith graduated from the Georgia School of Technology because the name had not been changed yet.