Herald Smith

Business leader and former trustee Herald “Smitty” Smith died July 27, 2015. He was 91.

Smith, along with his wife, Miriam, founded CRST International in 1955. Smith converted a used chicken coop to an office and hired drivers who were hauling livestock from Cedar Rapids to Chicago to make the return trip with loads of steel instead of empty trucks. By 1963 the company reached $1 million in annual revenue. Smith expanded beyond hauling steel to carrying refrigerated freight and dry goods. By the time he retired in 1978, the company’s name had been changed from Cedar Rapids Steel Transport to CRST Inc. to reflect its expansion into new areas. The company, which Herald Smith’s son, John Smith ’71, bought in 1997, is ranked No. 25 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers and has annual revenue in excess of $1 billion. Smith served on Cornell’s Board of Trustees from 1979-1985. He was also active with the Iowa Motor Association and the American Trucking Association.

He is survived by his wife, daughters Sharon Konchar and Susan Johnson, sons John and Jim, 13 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.