Elizabeth Smiley, a research laboratory specialist in the department of Cell and Molecular Biology at the Medical School, died Oct. 28 after a long battle with cancer. She was 56.
“Beth was independent, a tad stubborn, centered, inquisitive, stalwart in the face of adversity, practical and caring,” says her sister Jeannie Colling. “She had a quick mind, a laugh befitting her last name and a penchant for trivia. She used nature to restore her soul and keep herself connected to wonder.”
Smiley was born Feb. 2, 1952, in Peoria, Ill. She worked at U-M for 30 years, most recently in the lab of Dr. Kate Barald in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at the Medical School.
“Beth was the best of scientific colleagues,” says Barald, professor of cell and developmental biology, and biomedical engineering; and associate director of the Program in Biomedical Sciences at the Medical School. “As (research scientist) Jeff Bonadio commented, she was the heart of any scientific team — not only in being able to keep all that data in her head, but to train the next generation of scientists.
“All those hours we spent talking science, planning the work and the applications for funding were never onerous, but clarifying and exciting and full of laughter and camaraderie. Beth’s clear-thinking mind worked like a steel spring. Our ability to mesh ideas and get almost tremblingly excited planning new experiments was always energizing.”
In addition to Colling, Smiley is survived by her parents Barbara and Karl; Karl’s wife Millie Jo; sister Ann Langenfeld; friend Dan Smutz; several nieces, nephews and grandchildren; two devoted puppy dogs; and numerous friends.
A memorial service is scheduled from 3-5 p.m. Nov. 20 at Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Go to caringbridge.org/visit/bethsmiley for further information. In lieu of flowers, friends are asked to perform a random act of kindness or make a charitable contribution to Therapeutic Riding Inc., 4715 E. Joy Road, 48105, or go to www.therapeuticriding.ws.
Edward Epstein
Edward Epstein, former chair of the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, died Oct. 14. He was 77. He was a pioneer in the field of meteorological modeling who left U-M in 1973 to join the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
His research career began in the mid-1950s when he worked at the Air Force Cambridge Research Center, Arizona State University and Pennsylvania State University. Epstein came to the University in the 1960s as a professor of meteorology. During this time, his work focused on probability forecasting, quality control and forecast utility. In 1968 he was a visiting scientist at the University of Stockholm where he developed the ranked probability score that now is used in forecast verification.
Epstein was an associate administrator of NOAA before in 1978 becoming the director of the agency’s National Climate Program Office. In 1981 he was named the chief of NOAA’s Climate and Earth Sciences Laboratory. In 1983 he returned to research when he was appointed the chief scientist of the Climate Analysis Center of the U.S. National Weather Service National Meteorological Center, a position he held until his retirement in 1993. He was an elected fellow of the American Meteorological Society for his outstanding contributions to atmospheric sciences.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Alice, four children and their spouses, and eight grandchildren. The family requests that remembrances of Ed Epstein be made to The American Parkinson Disease Association, 135 Parkinson Ave., Staten Island, N.Y. 10305.
— Submitted by Mary Nehls-Frumkin, Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences
