NATMUS founder John Martin Smith and his wife Bobbie were both killed in an automobile accident on 10/5/2011 near Auburn, IN.

John Martin, an attorney, served on numerous boards of directors of not-for-profit organizations. He is the founder of the DeKalb County Historical Society, the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, and the National Automotive & Truck Museum of the United States, Inc. (NATMUS).

In 1998, John Martin, Bobbie and others from NATMUS developed an agreement with Don Mayton and his crew to loan them Futurliner #10 to restore and show around the country.

John Martin served on the Board of Trustees and as President of the Indiana Historical Society, on the Board of Directors of the American Truck Historical Society, and on the Board of Directors of Indiana Landmarks. He also held several public offices, including the Board of Trustees and President of the Eckhart Public Library, Auburn City Attorney, and as DeKalb County Historian from 1982 until his death

Bobbie taught language arts at the Martinsville Junior High School and then taught English at Auburn High School. She then worked part time as a secretary and bookkeeper in the law office for several years. In 1976, Bobbie founded Smith-Cornell, Inc. to manufacture and sell plaques and markers for historic properties across the nation. She sold that business in 1991 and then went to work for the NATMUS museum in Auburn until her retirement.

They will both be missed.