E. Roger Smart, 92, died on Jan. 29, 2012 at Treasure Coast Hospice in Stuart. Born in Springfield, MA, he moved to Stuart in 1980 from Setauket, NY.
He completed 2 years of college at American International College, Springfield, MA. He joined Pan American Airways in 1942 as Co-Pilot, became a Captain in 1945 while flying Pan Am’s Latin-American routes from Miami, and retired in 1975. During World War II, he flew the PAA Clipper “Flying Boats” to South America and Africa, and trained Army Air Corps pilots in Brownsville, Texas. He met and married his wife Karla Krkavcova in 1948, in Prague, Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic.
As a pilot, he lived and flew out of Miami; New York; Brussels, Belgium; Frankfurt, Germany; and Ankara, Turkey. He flew throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. He flew every Douglas aircraft from the DC-3 to the DC-8, as well as the Boeing 707 and 747. He was appointed Check Pilot for Latin American operations in 1946, and Central European operations in 1952.
On October 8, 1964, Roger Smart set a new speed record for the commercial transatlantic flight from New York’s Kennedy Airport to Shannon Ireland; the DC-8 flight took 4 hours and 46 minutes, clipping 3 minutes off the previous record set in 1962 by Irish Airlines.
He was an excellent tennis player and golfer, holding memberships at the Old Field Club and St. George’s Golf and Country Club on Long Island, NY, and Yacht and Country Club, FL. He was a runner and swimmer, an inspiration of health, excellence, and persistence to many.
He was predeceased by his beloved wife Karla in 2010, and is survived by his daughter Carol Buxton and son-in-law, Dick Buxton, of Chantilly, VA; his grandsons, Capt Eben Buxton (USMC) and Staff Sergeant William Buxton (USMC); and 2 great-granddaughters. Services:
There are no services scheduled at this time. Memorial contributions may be made to Treasure Coast Hospice, 1201 E. Indian St., Stuart, FL 34997; www.TCHospice.org; 772-403-4500; or to Boys and Girls Clubs of America, 1275 Peachtree St., NE, Atlanta, GA 30309-3506; www.bcga.org; 404-487-5700.