A Lewiston man will host two meetings next week to discuss renaming the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport in honor of Samantha Smith, a Maine student and peace activist who died there in 1985 at the age of 13.

John LeBlond will present his proposal to rechristen the airport the Samantha Smith International Peace Port.

The first meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at the Auburn Public Library’s first floor conference room. The second meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Lewiston Public Library’s conference room.

Smith gained national prominence in 1982 when, at the age of 10, she wrote a letter to then-Soviet President Yuri Andropov about her concerns about nuclear war and nuclear proliferation.

Andropov responded with a letter of his own and invited her to tour the U.S.S.R. The story made her a media celebrity.

She was killed in an airplane crash at the Auburn airport in August 1985.

Airport Manager Rick Cloutier said it isn’t easy to rename an airport.

“There are FAA requirements, Maine Department of Transportation requirements and other business matters to consider,” Cloutier said.

“It’s a long, involved process. But it can be done, if that’s what the community wants.”