Smith among NOAA honorees

Eli Smith, son of Robert and Liane Smith of Colfax, was among Gold Medal recipients at the 70th annual honor awards program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Washington, D.C., Sept 25. Now stationed in Providence, R.I., Smith was among a group of volunteers who responded on short notice to urgent requests by the U.S. Coast Guard to conduct emergency hydrographic surveys. The group formed a mobile integrated survey team to make sure ports and channels were free of obstructions for safe maritime and humanitarian relief operations.

The team worked in the Houston area after...