Elliott Varner Smith of Oakland, Calif., passed away May 16 at the Washoe Medical Center in Reno, Nev., due to complications from a severe ski accident at Mammoth Mountain.

An expert skier, he suffered spinal cord injuries when he fell on May 5 during a family ski outing on Mammoth Mountain, a mountain he loved and had skied for about 40 years.

Born in Summit, N.J., in 1940, Smith grew up in Palo Alto, graduating from Palo Alto High School in 1958. He went on to earn a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley (1962). During his time at Cal he was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, Californians and Order of the Golden Bear.

Upon graduation from Cal, his youthful idealism drew him to the Peace Corps where he served for two years in the villages of Colombia coordinating and working on organizing village councils in isolated rural areas. There he worked to improve local conditions through repair and construction of schools, health centers, bridges and trails.

After earning his Masters in Latin American studies from the University of Texas (1967), he joined the Office of Economic Opportunity serving as a grant administrator for poverty programs in Alaska and Washington. He went on to work in Micronesia, funding and administering anti poverty programs.

In 1974 he became a professional photographer and writer. He was known for his colorful, graphic images of peoples, cultures and landscapes of the southwestern United States, California, Ecuador, India and Oceania and the South Pacific. His credits included publishing in magazines, textbooks, advertising, calendars and photo exhibits. For 25 years he was an assignment photographer for Publishers Weekly photographing events and authors.

On the boat Taiyo, Smith set sail from Tahiti in July of 1980 on a voyage to Pitcairn Island, one of the world's most inaccessible places. He was a member of an expedition organized by Glynn Christian, a descendant of the Bounty mutineers. During his time spent on Pitcairn he developed warm friendships with the islanders, which have continued to the present

He created and produced audio-visual presentations in Spanish and English for Head Start programs. He created multiple photo booklets on life in Micronesia as culturally specific teaching aids for fishing, agriculture, transportation, education and occupations. His photos were used for the first native Hawaiian language Head Start book.

Smith had a lifetime involvement with programs that protected and promoted the environment, and with groups representing other cultures. He worked in the High Sierra Camps of Yosemite while in college, led Sierra Club backpacking trips for early teens, skied the slopes of the Sierra and photographed extensively his mountains. He was a member of E Clampus Vitus-Bodie Chapter. He was "part of the Eastern Sierra culture."

Most recently he dedicated his time to the restoration of and student education about Sausal Creek in Oakland, Calif. The family has asked that donations be made to:

Friends of Sausal Creek

P.O. Box 2737

Oakland, CA 94602

Smith is survived by sister Judith Smith Whiting and her husband John Whiting of San Marino, Calif., niece Dawn Habgood and family of Duxbury, Mass., and nephew Chris Whiting and his wife Che Zuro Whiting of South Pasadena, Calif., and Crowley Lake, Calif.

A celebration of his life will be held in Oakland on June 18

This article was taken from the The 7 June 2006 issue of the Mammoth Times. Elliott was an employee of Tuolumne Meadows Lodge in the early 1960's. He was a wonderful person to work with have on our staff. He would often call me at he lodge desk at 10:30 at night and say, "Hey Gene, this is Elliott. Can you drive down and pick me up after you get off work? I am at the bottom of Bloody Canyon and need a ride back to the lodge." In those days it was the old road down Lee Vining Canyon but we were always doing things like that for each other. He was an intrepid, tireless hiker and often did major one day hikes alone. He was an extremely energetic and active person to the end. Elliott had a sparkling personality and was always laughing and making other people laugh. He could laugh at himself as well. One time when he called me he was stuttering over his name and he just stopped and said, "God! its pretty bad when you can't even say your own name!" then he just laughed. His passing is a great loss to his family and friends.

Elliott's sister is: Judy Whiting, 35 Mill Canyon Rd., San Marino, CA 91108