In memoriam: Dr. Lendon Smith - Brief Article - Obituary

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Feb-March, 2002 by Joseph G. Hattersley

Our dear friend and long-time supporter, Dr. Lendon H. Smith, MD, died recently at the age of 80 from complications after heart surgery. Dr. Smith was a wonderful addition to our October Symposium this year and many years past where he mixed charm and wit with vital and timely health information.

Dr. Smith practiced pediatric medicine in Portland, Oregon for many years before his retirement, and was a prolific author or co-author with such books to his credit as Feed Your Kids Right, Feed Yourself Right, Encyclopedia of Baby and Child Care, Hyper Kids: A Workbook for Parents and Teachers: How to Recognize and Respond to Hyperactivity, Attention Deficit Disorders, Learning Disabilities, Dr. Lendon Smith's Low-Stress Diet Book, Straight Talk on Raising Young Children: Understanding and Guiding Your 1 to 6 Year old, The Family Encyclopedia of Natural Healing, How to Raise a Healthy Child, and his most recent book, co-authored with Joseph Hattersley, The Infant Survival Guide: Protecting Your Baby from the Dangers of Crib Death, Vaccines and Other Environmental Hazards.

WMA will miss his warm and lighthearted presence and his dedication to helping people to get healthy.

Dr. Smith was also professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, and offered pediatric advice on his own TV program. In writing our book together, "Dunny," as his friends and associates affectionately called him, was always gracious and encouraging when he suggested changes and revisions. He was a special friend to the many who knew him.

In his last months Dr. Smith campaigned on radio and TV against use of an addictive drug to treat hyperactivity, learning difficulties and more. He also tackled co-author assignments for new books-to-be. Dunny was a striver to the end.

His daughters Tracy and Nancy, his sons Tim and Eric, along with nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild survive him.