Logansport High School is proud to announce that Don J. Schmidt has been selected as the 2026 Logansport High School Hall of Distinction Inductee, recognizing his lifetime of professional achievement, public service, athletic excellence, and commitment to community. Mr. Schmidt will be recognized as our inductee at the 155th Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 31, 2026 at 2:00 PM in the Berry Bowl.
Don Schmidt was born and raised in Logansport, Indiana, and is a 1955 graduate of Logansport High School. During his senior year, he was the recipient of the prestigious John Price Award for his outstanding athletic achievements. He attended DePauw University and later graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Mathematics. His career included positions with Rea Magnet Wire, North Central High School, and Western Michigan University before moving to Fort Wayne in 1964 to join Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW). At IPFW, he served in the Mechanical Engineering Technology Department for 41 years as a professor and also represented the university to the NCAA for five years.
Throughout his life, Don has been deeply involved in athletics, particularly tennis. He played tennis at Purdue University, won the Indiana State High School Tennis Championship, captured the Indiana State Men’s Championship multiple times, and won the United States National Public Parks Doubles Championship in 1961. He was also a multiple-time Fort Wayne City Champion and has been inducted into the Fort Wayne Tennis Hall of Fame. Over the course of his career, he won more than 120 tennis championships across the Midwest and South.
In addition to his playing career, Don devoted 45 years to officiating high school and small college basketball and football in Indiana. His officiating career included working the Indiana High School Football All-Star Game and the Indiana State High School Football Championship in 1973.
Don also demonstrated outstanding commitment to public service. In 1971, he was appointed to the Fort Wayne City Council and went on to be elected nine times, serving 37 years—the longest tenure of any councilman in Fort Wayne history. Following his time on the council, he was appointed to the Fort Wayne Planning Commission, where he served for eight years. He also served on the Board of Directors for several companies, including Small Parts Inc., HTI Heat Treating, ABC Metals (all of Logansport), and Golden Years Homestead in Fort Wayne, and was co-owner of the Power Dam Corporation in Defiance, Ohio. He has served as past president of the Fort Wayne Business Forum, the Northeast Indiana Officials Association, the Fort Wayne Tennis Commission, and the Lake George Inland Cat Sailing Association.
Now retired, Don continues to stay active in his community as an Arbitrator for the Better Business Bureau, primarily handling real estate cases. He also remains active in music, leading his own Dixieland band and playing trumpet in the American Legion Band and the New Horizons Concert Band. Don and his wife Pamela have two sons, Kraig and Kurt, and two granddaughters, Lauren and Reagan. Logansport High School is honored to recognize Don Schmidt as a member of the 2026 Logansport High School Hall of Distinction. His lifetime of achievement, service, leadership, and dedication to athletics and community represents the very best of Logansport High School and the Logansport community.