Michael Ross Smith, Sr.

Dr. Michael R. Smith, Sr., a man who always looked forward, passed on to his next adventure on Monday, March 30, 2026, in Ridgeland, Mississippi. With ideas that were often ahead of their time, Michael was always focused on what would come next in his life – whether it was his next big project or, in his later years, walking unassisted for a longer distance than he had the day before.

Michael was born on May 6, 1936, in Oxford, Mississippi, and lived briefly in Little Rock, Arkansas, before his family returned to Richland, Mississippi (then called Plain). He attended Florence High School then Mississippi State University where he studied engineering. While an MSU student, he earned his pilot’s license under the tutelage of Pop Camp, whose pilot’s license was authorized by Charles Lindbergh. He was an early member of the Experimental Aircraft Association, years before it moved to Oshkosh.

Michael was part of the Raspet Flight Research Laboratory team that developed the XV-11A “Marvel,” the first composite airplane in the world. He earned his master’s degree at Clemson University then returned to Mississippi State to pursue his doctorate.

While progressing toward his PhD, Michael served as a Raspet ag plane test pilot and researcher, developing techniques to increase chemical dispersal rates to improve crop production. He spent several years working for the university and NASA at the Stennis Test Facility where he participated in testing rocket engines for the Apollo space program. After earning his PhD, Michael moved his family to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, where he opened his own engineering firm. He also served as Director of the Hancock County Port & Harbor Commission. Under his leadership, infrastructure and services were greatly expanded at Port Bienville Industrial Park and Stennis International Airport.

Michael was the first to use pre-stressed concrete structures for pier construction, which he did when rebuilding the west side of the Pass Christian Harbor in the 1970s. This project won a prestigious, national engineering award and was featured in several construction and engineering publications. That section of the harbor has survived every hurricane that has hit the area since that time.

In the late 1970s, Michael purchased a large tract of land on Old Canton Road and developed Village Square. Many people disparaged the location and the idea of creating a mixed-use property that had businesses facing Old Canton Road, townhouses just beyond, and single-family homes filling the remainder of the property. Located near the Ross Barnett Reservoir, that area of Madison County later became one of the most desired residential suburbs of Jackson.

After many years of land development and construction projects on the Gulf Coast and in Central Mississippi, Michael returned to his first love of aeronautical engineering. The new composite construction processes he developed while building his own design, the Skylark II, were incorporated into the Rutan Model 76 Voyager, which became the first airplane to fly around the world without stopping or refueling. He later designed and built a larger trainer airplane called the Global GT-3. He also received a NASA grant for the development of a quasi-constant speed propeller that improved airspeed and rate of climb at significantly reduced noise levels. He used swept-wing theory as the inspiration to improve the propeller design and that technology is now used globally by most propeller manufacturers.

For several decades, Michael and his father, M. Ross Smith, volunteered with the Richland Creek Watershed project whose goal is alleviating flooding in Jackson and the surrounding areas. Michael was instrumental in securing recent federal funding for the project which is ongoing.

Michael was preceded in death by his parents, M. Ross Smith and Maggie Mae Legett Smith; his wife, Katie Tate Smith; and his brother, David B. Smith. He is survived by his former wife Carrie A. Smith, daughter Lisa Poole (David), son Michael, Jr., step-daughter Darlene Staley (Patrick), step-son Michael Tate (Alicia), and grandchildren Madison Hardin (Brandon), Grace Poole, and Ashton Tate. Services will be held in Richland Cemetery at a later date.

Having helped build several churches in his lifetime, Michael wanted the chance to build one more or, at a minimum, to improve the parking lot at his own. Therefore, in lieu of flowers, donations in Michael’s honor may be made to the building fund at The Pointe Church. The Pointe Church 1120 Star Rd. Brandon, MS 39042.