Lon Smith stepping down as director of Kansas Aviation Museum

The new director of the Kansas Aviation Museum will need to be able to lead, grow and nurture the legacy of Kansas aviation, the museum’s president said Wednesday as the search begins to fill that position.

After seven years, Lon Smith announced his resignation as executive director of the museum. His last day will be June 10, according to a news release.

On June 11, he will begin work as vice president for business development and architectural products at Wichita-based Integrated Facilities Group, which specializes in interior design, space planning and project management.

“I have been going hard at this – as hard as humanly possible, giving it every ounce of energy that I have, and I am just tired,” Smith said Wednesday. “We have done a lot, and I have been able to help position the museum to move forward.

“I need less stress in my life, I just do. I have been thinking about this for the past year, and this has been one of the top three or four toughest decisions in my life. I adore this place. It is hard to leave.”

Richard Moore, the museum’s president, said he will head a search committee looking for Smith’s successor. Moore said people have already begun applying for the position.

“We will be doing a nationwide executive search for the perfect placement,” Moore said Wednesday.

He said Smith offered the board his resignation last Friday.

“We were very, very surprised he was leaving a position that he dearly cherished,” Moore said. “As a board we were shocked, but he has goals outside the museum world that he will be following.”

Ideally, the person who takes over as the next director will “share the same visions that Lon has but continue to grow the museum,” Moore said.

To show their appreciation, Moore said the board is dedicating a plaque with Smith’s picture and a statement noting his accomplishments as director.

“This museum is very, very special to him, and he was special to us,” Moore said. “We will be showing that to him.”

Smith moved to Wichita from Wood River, Ill., in 2004. Before becoming director at the Kansas Aviation Museum, he served as director of sales and marketing for the Museum of World Treasures.

At the Museum of World Treasures, he was instrumental in helping develop exhibits and boosting the number of visitors as well as developing a program that took some of the museum’s exhibits to libraries across Kansas.

The Kansas Aviation Museum is housed in the former terminal for Wichita Municipal Airport, constructed during the 1930s and 1940s. The building, at 3350 George Washington Blvd., is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In Smith’s tenure since 2008, there have been a number of changes, including restoring the building’s exterior, acquiring land from Spirit AeroSystems, relocating the museum’s restoration shop, retiring a $250,000 debt and growing the museum’s staff from 1.5 positions to 10. In addition, the museum now has a special archives center and education activity center.

Currently, Smith is helping lead the museum through a $1.3 million renovation project. It will create handicapped-compliant restrooms, add heating and air conditioning for the balance of public space in the building and install an elevator to make all parts of the museum accessible. The work is expected to be completed by July 28.

This story was originally published March 18, 2015 at 10:30 AM with the headline "Lon Smith stepping down as director of Kansas Aviation Museum."