Bo Smith's Personal Webpage
Last Updated: April 13th, 2011
My name is Bo Smith. After a 28 year career as a carrier naval aviator and naval officer, I retired July 31st, 1991.  The following week, I took my Professional Education and Earth Science Certification exams and began teaching in late September. I retired as an educator May, 2007, after teaching Earth/Space Science, Oceanography, and Environmental Science at the high school level for sixteen years and as an Earth Science Lab Instructor at the University of North Florida for about 5 years. During that period, I was fortunate to work with several space related extension activities; first with Florida State University's "Florida Explores'" satellite meteorology program, second as Program Manager and Instructor in the Florida Protein Crystals in Space Program where we were involved in three space shuttle launches and one Soyuz launch to the International Space Station and lastly as an Aerospace Education Mentor (AEM) for the Florida Space Research Institute (FSRI).   For more professional information including websites associated with my educational extension activities, please click on my Professional Page link.

I was married in August, 2008 to Diana Hatten Groover.  We divide our time between the balmy humid climate in Jacksonville, Florida and the cooler climate of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.  Diana and I purchased a cabin in Micaville, North Carolina in December, 2008.  Micaville is located between Burnsville in Yancey County and Spruce Pine in Mitchell County right in the middle of the Spruce Pine Mining District.

The Cabin: Micaville, North Carolina

The cabin has two bedrooms, a loft in the great room,a guest porch(far left), and a large main porch(foreground).

View of Celo Knob from our porch in April 2008

 
Spruce Pine Mining District Book Project
I have been conducting research  on the geology and  mining history of the Sruce Pine Mining District for about five years now.  My initial intent was to write a book primarily on the geology and mining in the area.  But, as my research progressed and I interviewed numerous local mining families,  I learned that the culture of the area has been determined by many generations of families which have devoted themselves to working the land be it for mining, farming, or forrestry.  Their history and culture will play a major role in my book.  The target audience for my book is the tourist who comes to the area and needs a reference guide to learn about the geology of the area and how to visit local mine sites in addition or instead of just going to one of the "tourist mining" experiences.

Overview of My Naval Career
I attended Cornell University on a NROTC Scholarship and graduated in 1963 with a BA in Geology.  Following graduation, I attended Navy Jet Flight Training earning my "Wings of Gold" in February 1965.  I retired from the Navy in July, 1991 as a Captain after a 28 year career in the Navy.  I flew over 4000 hours in Navy carrier jet aircraft including over 900 carrier landings and completed  over 400 combat missions over North and South Vietnam in 1966, 1967, and 1972.  Highlights of my Navy career included: flying Vietnam combat missions in the A4 Skyhawk with my shipmates in the Navy's finest squadron, the Valions of Attack Squadron Fifteen; my second tour in VA-15 as Commanding Officer of an A7 carrier squadron which received the Battle "E" as the Navy's best light attack squadron; as Commanding Officer of VA-174, an A7 Fleet Replacement Squadron which provided training for pilots and maintenance personnel prior to assignemnt to their fleet squadron; as Executive Officer of an aircraft carrier, USS Saratoga CV-60; as Commanding Officer of the USS Austin LPD-4, an amphibious ship which included several "special operations" in the eastern Mediterreanean Sea; and as Operations Officer of Commander Fleet Air Western Pacific (COMFAIRWESTPAC) in Atsugi, Japan where I was in charge of coordinating opposition air forces for Seventh Fleet exercises and had a special assignment involving the initial planning for the Desert Storm air strike in the First Gulf War. If you interested in a chronology of my navy career, check out the "My Navy" section below.

Diana Hatten Groover was gracious enough to marry me on August 16th, 2008 at the Casa Marina Hotel in Jacksonville Beach, Florida

 

On August 16th, 2008 my family significantly increased in size.
Click HERE for more details and wedding pictures.

Diana's Children

(left to right) Eldest Daughter, Ginny Bemus; oldest son, Hampton Groover; Diana and Bo; youngest son, Wade Groover, youngest daughter, Alice Hickox

Diana's children and their families

Diana has four children; Ginny Bemus, Hampton Groover and his wife Susan, Wade Groover and his wife Shannon, and Alice Hickox and her husband Alec and 20 grandchildren

Bo's daughters and their families

From left to right: daughter Laura (husband Steve and daughter Eliza were unable to attend the wedding); daughter Jessica and husband Tom Scangarello; daugher Heather and husband David; next back row daughter Stacy Smith Gant and husband Jed (their son Oliver was not brn yet). Grandsons next to Bo are Austin and Hadden (sons of Heather and David); and on the right back row are daughter Lindsay and ex-boyfriend Dustin McKillip

Bo's Daughters from 2004 to 2011

This picture was taken about 2004
From left to right; Stacy, Laura, Lindsay, Heather, Jessica

This pcture was taken at Stacy's wedding May 17th, 2008
From left to Right; Heather, Laura, Stacy, Jessica, Lindsay

This picture was taken at Jessica's wedding on January 29th, 2011
From left to right; Laura, Heather, Jessica, Lindsay, and Stacy
Click HERE to learn more about my daughters and grandchildren,

Bo and Diana's Sisters

Diana's sister, Linda Chambers is second from the left. Bo's sister, Barbara is on the far right.  Barbara's daughter, Melissa is between Barbara and Bo.  Diana's cousin, Anita is on the left.
Click HERE for more details and pictures of ther sisters

Old Doggie Pictures

 Picture taken in the Fall 2009:
 

Top: Bella (AKA Bellissima, Bella Babe), born March 17th, 2009 (picture at about 5 or 6 months old)
 

Middle: Panzy- 9 year old spayed female part Shih Tzu/part Pekingese

Front: Panda (AKA Pandamonium, Panda Man)- a 7 yr old AKC/CKC male Shih Tzu- a proven "stud" with three litters (14 puppies) on his resume

 
My friend and companion for more than 15 years, Chipper died on July 19th, 2008.  He is the black and white Springer mix. He was survived by me and his friend Nardo, the reddish brown Australian Shepherd mix in the picture. Bernrdo died at the cabin on Friday morning, August 21st, 2009.

 

Nardo on the cabin porch a few months before he passed away in August 2010.

 

He is burried at the cabin.


Fishing
 I have been able to resume my interest in fishing since retirement.  Most of my fishing ventures were initially with my friend Lehman Barnes, a  retired professor from UNF. Diana and Lehman's wife Marianne joined us on a few occasions. I also went fishing on three ocassions with my sister Barbara on a boat out of Point Pleasant, New Jersey.  Diana joined us for one of those trips.  I look forward to fishing more often with Diana.  We recently got our North Carolina Inland Fishing licences and have our trout fishing gear ready to go at the cabin. I will keep our salt water gear in Jacksonville so that we can fish with Lehman and Marianne when they are in town. Marianne and Lehman split their time between Jacksonville and their house in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Our initial fishing was conducted in May 2007 from the surf near the jetties at  NAS Mayport.  I caught this 'black drum' on my second cast. 
In June, 2007, I went fishing on the Norma K III, a 'Fluke boat' in New Jersey with my sister Barbara.  We ate this 18" 'monster'.

 

Lehman and I went fishing February 26th, 2008 at the Jacksonville Beach pier and Lehman caught this nice 12" Whiting. 

This is a beautiful Bluefish I caught off the JAX pier on Wednesday, March 12th, 2008

My wife, Diana Groover loves to join us when she can. 
This was her first fish! :-)

Lehman's wife, Marianne, came along for her first attempt at fishing putting us all to shame catching many small 'croakers' including two at one time!
My Navy

 This is a younger me, a 25 year old A4 pilot onboard the USS Intrepid CV-11 off the coast of Vietnam)

Click HERE for a information about my navy career