Colombia RPCV Elliott Varner Smith volunteered for two years in rural Colombia, organizing village councils to build roads and schools



"I've been reading his wonderful letters from the Peace Corps," Whiting said. "He was trying to empower people and make people believe they could make a difference in their lives."

Colombia RPCV Elliott Varner Smith volunteered for two years in rural Colombia, organizing village councils to build roads and schools

Elliott Varner Smith -- photographer, volunteer

Rick DelVecchio, Chronicle Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Elliott Varner Smith, a photographer who chronicled the descendants of the Bounty mutineers and an educator and environmentalist who was passionate about restoring native plant life along the creek running through his Oakland neighborhood, died May 16. He was 66.

Mr. Smith died at Washoe Medical Center in Reno as a result of complications from a skiing accident. An experienced skier, he had taken a severe fall and injured his spinal cord on a family outing at Mammoth Mountain on May 5, said his sister, Judith Smith Whiting of San Marino (Los Angeles County).

Born in Summit, N.J., on Feb. 24, 1940, Mr. Smith grew up in Palo Alto and graduated from Palo Alto High School. He attended UC Berkeley, earning a degree in political science in 1962.

A visit to Cal by President John F. Kennedy inspired Mr. Smith to join the newly formed Peace Corps. He volunteered for two years in rural Colombia, organizing village councils to build roads and schools.

"I've been reading his wonderful letters from the Peace Corps," Whiting said. "He was trying to empower people and make people believe they could make a difference in their lives."

After his Peace Corps service, Mr. Smith earned a master's degree in Latin American studies at the University of Texas. In 1967, he went to work for the federal Office of Economic Opportunity as a grant administrator for anti-poverty programs in Alaska and Washington, and later, in Micronesia.

In 1974, Mr. Smith decided to pursue his dream of becoming a professional photographer. He went on to document people, cultures and landscapes in the southwestern United States, California, Ecuador, India, Australia and the South Pacific. His work was published in Newsweek, National Geographic Traveler, Parade, Discover and other magazines, as well as in textbooks, advertising, calendars and photo exhibits.

Mr. Smith worked for Publishers Weekly one week a year for 25 years, covering the annual American Booksellers Association conference. His assignment was to photograph celebrities.

One of his most cherished adventures took him to Pitcairn Island in the South Pacific. He sailed from Tahiti in 1980 on an expedition organized by Glynn Christian, a descendant of the officer who led the mutiny on the British naval sailing ship Bounty in 1789. His friendships with the islanders continued throughout his life.

A lifelong environmentalist, Mr. Smith worked in the High Sierra camps of Yosemite National Park while in college and led Sierra Club backpacking trips for teens. He skied the Sierra and photographed the mountains extensively.

Late in life, he joined neighbors in a volunteer effort to restore Oakland's Sausal Creek. His family has asked that donations be made in his memory to the Friends of Sausal Creek, P.O. Box 2737, Oakland, CA 94602.

Mr. Smith is survived his sister; a niece, Dawn Habgood of Duxbury, Mass.; and a nephew, Chris Whiting of South Pasadena.

A celebration of Mr. Smith's life will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Joaquin Miller monument in Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland.

When this story was posted in June 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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