This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: SMITH Classification: Obituary Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/ZaB.2ACE/1362 Message Board Post: San Antonio Express-News (TX) - January 12, 1992 Charles W. Smith: Geophysicist Smith, 70, found major oil fields Charles W. Smith of Del Rio was a well-known geophysicist who got his start after wearing holes in his boots, his son recalled Saturday. Smith, 70, died Thursday after a two-week bout with pneumonia, said his son, Michael, of Canyon Lake. "Dad was a highly respected offshore exploration geophysicist and was responsible for helping find several major oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico." "My father was in the oil business from 1946 to 1984. When he first started in 1946, his boss told him he would get a promotion when Dad got his feet on the ground. "After not getting a raise for 18 months, Dad showed his boss the holes in his boots and said he had his feet on the ground. After that his career started moving upward," Michael Smith said. The elder Smith was active in the Masonic lodge and loved gardening, fishing and other outdoor activities. "He was always willing to go that extra mile to help people. He never put himself first," the son said. Smith was born in Bradford, Pa., on Oct. 18, 1921, and served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific theater during World War II. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma at Norman in 1952. Smith lived in Canyon Lake and Del Rio in the past decade. Other survivors include his wife, Helen J. Smith of Del Rio; a brother, Harold Smith of Norman, Okla.; and numerous nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be at noon Monday at Mission Park Funeral Chapels North. Burial will follow in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery