He made threats to demonstrate for more students’ rights. He had radical ideas. He upset administrators.

His name isn’t Milton McGriff or Allan Nosworthy.

The man in question is former Government of the Student Body President Don Smith, and he is returning to Iowa State today to present two speeches at the Memorial Union.

Smith will give his first speech, titled “Lessons Learned from the Sixties,” at noon in the Pioneer Room. The second speech, “Alternative Energy Resources,” is scheduled for 8 p.m. in the Sun Room.

Eric Abbott, an ISU journalism professor, was a senior in journalism during the 1967 winter quarter, when Smith campaigned for office.

“He had already established a reputation around campus as a guy who had in mind some big changes for the place,” Abbott remembered.

Abbott, who was also the Iowa State Daily’s editor-in-chief at the time, said the two other students in the race had been heavily involved in student government for some time.

“He was running against two candidates who represented the GSB establishment, and it split the vote,” Abbott said.

Smith won 3,292 of the 7,014 votes cast and took office near the end of February. Abbott said Smith did not encounter major opposition at the beginning of his term, despite the number of votes against him.

“The students were rather curious to see what he would do. Many people were interested, maybe amused,” he said.

ISU history professor Wayne Osborn, a co-organizer of today’s event, said many of Smith’s ideas came from a course he took on the history of ideas in Western civilization.

“The tendency was to blame the professor for corrupting [Smith], but I like to think ideas have power. When people go to a university, they are affected by ideas that change their lives. He was affected by history,” Osborn said.

One of Smith’s many quirks was the way he dressed. Most male students in 1967 wore white shirts and black ties, while female students wore dresses. Contrasting sharply was Smith, with his unkempt hair and beard, bib overalls and conspicuous lack of socks.

A caption in a 1967 issue of the Daily gives evidence of this. The picture shows Smith giving his State of the Campus address and the caption reads: “Smith wore his usual attire — sweatshirt, no socks and shoes without shoe laces.”

At the meeting, Smith introduced a Bill of Rights, which drew some attention with its assertion of radical students’ rights, but Abbott said the controversy came later.

Beginning of controversy

“The turmoil started when Smith was said to have invited LIFE Magazine to a marijuana party he was throwing so that they could do an exclusive on drugs on college campuses featuring Iowa State University,” Abbott said.

Rumors flew about the alleged drug party. Abbott said Smith told the Daily’s GSB reporter everything that had happened but then specified that his comments were off the record. “Half the campus was talking about it, but nothing was reported publicly,” Abbott said.

Abbott, whose term as Daily editor had run out, said he decided to write an article that would clear up the confusion. He went to Smith’s apartment and found the president there with a few of his friends.

“I told him I wanted to know if in fact he had held his marijuana party,” Abbott said. Smith said the rumors were true, and Abbott published his article in the Daily in April 1967.

“It wasn’t the greatest story of all time, but for the first time it got out the information that this was happening,” Abbott said.

Soon afterwards, state narcotics agents began arriving at ISU to investigate. In the midst of it all, Smith had to defend himself at a GSB meeting.

Biggest GSB meeting in history

“It was probably the biggest GSB meeting in history,” Abbott said. “Curtiss Auditorium was completely packed. People spread out into the hallways and around the rotunda. They removed the grillwork from the heating ducts and crawled in to look down.”

Some who spoke at the meeting attacked the Daily for having printed the story, but Abbott said, “Some people thought it was kind of cool that Don Smith had [thrown the party]. This was not a meeting that condemned Don Smith.”

Nevertheless, Smith resigned his position and left Iowa State a few weeks after the meeting. The reasons behind his departure were never made public, but Abbott said there were many theories.

“Maybe he found out that people didn’t really support all the things he did,” Abbott said, adding, “Another group may have had information on him that they threatened to use.”

According to an article in the fall 1988 issue of ISU’s VISIONS magazine, Smith said, “It had become a hassle. I decided it wasn’t worth it to keep a position that had no power, so I just quit.”

Smith went to the West Coast, seeking an outlet for his views, but by November, he had joined his girlfriend (and now ex-wife) Sondra Miesse Smith back at ISU.

He graduated from ISU in 1968 with a degree in mechanical engineering, and obtained a history Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in 1978.

Since then, he has worked as a specialist in wind-powered energy for Pacific Gas and Electric in Oakland, Calif. He is the father of three daughters, two of which are twins.

The speech, organized by history professor Wayne Osborn and physics professor Laurent Hodges, is sponsored by the United Nations Club, the Physics, Political Science and History Departments and the Committee on Lectures.