First 100 Years: A Life's Journey

The story of a person's life can be the history of a country and so it is with the life of Dr. Raymond L. Smith. Born in 1917. Ray's 101 years on earth witnessed the events that made the United States what it is today. This biography tells the tale of a remarkable man who went from a small isolated Maine village to become the eventual President of Michigan Tech. a university known for excellence in engineering. Due to Ray's leadership skills, the student enrollment at Michigan Tech of 3500 in 1965 had by the 1979/80 academic year increased to nearly 8000. Ray's methods of achieving this is a story in itself. The adventures of Ray, from riding the rails as a hobo in the Great Depression of 1929, to working as an aide in a prestigious mental institution, to venturing to the then wilderness of Alaska and then eventually to his Presidency of Michigan Tech validates the American dream that anything is possible. In the world of the present, Ray's story is an inspiration that it is best to never underestimate what life has to offer.