Kendric C. Smith
Oct. 13, 1926-Nov. 1, 2024
Los Gatos, California

Kendric C. Smith, Ph.D. passed away on 11/01/24 at the age of 98 in Los Gatos, CA. He was born and raised in Illinois. He attended Berea College in Kentucky but obtained a scholarship to Stanford University in his senior year to complete his B.S. degree in chemistry. He went on to graduate school at UC Berkeley for his Ph.D. in biochemistry (1952). It was there that he met his wife, Marion Edmonds, who was also working on her doctorate.

Kendric began his career working at the UCSF Medical Center and then transferred to the Stanford University School of Medicine in 1956. He was promoted to Professor of Radiation Oncology in 1973 and retired in 1993. Kendric was well known for his research on DNA repair and mutagenesis following radiation exposure. He authored over 200 scientific papers and edited or wrote 12 books on photobiology. He also founded the American Society for Photobiology and was its first president (1972). Kendric stayed professionally active and connected with his colleagues throughout his life.

In his retirement, he enjoyed birding with his wife and they went on many birding trips around the world. He was also a “computer nerd” and started or rejuvenated many web sites for different organizations. Kendric developed a particular interest in monarch butterflies and their fascinating lifecyle. He protected many caterpillars through their metamorphic stages and then delighted the residents of The Terraces of Los Gatos, where he resided for his last 13 years, as he released these butterflies back to nature.

Kendric is preceded in death by his wife of 62 years. He is survived by his two daughters, Nancy and Martha, and five grandchildren.