Herb Smith

Herb Smith, of Wimberley, Texas left this earth on Saturday, October 9, 2021 at age 85, after a life well lived. Susan, his wife and loving companion of 38 years, was by his side as she was in life.

Herb is survived by his wife, Susan Zimmerman, brother William Smith, niece Lisa Lipofsky Valenzuela, great niece Brianna Valenzuela and great nephew Antonio Valenzuela. He also leaves a host of good friends who will miss his warm, soft-spoken wisdom and humor. He is preceded in death

He is preceded in death by his son Scott (1963-2017) and daughter Traci (1966-2002), and by his sister, Erma Smith Flasher.

Herb was born in 1936 in Detroit, Michigan, the first child of Herbert Ray Smith, Sr. and Osa Hale Smith. Growing up in Detroit, he developed a love for nature and photography at a very early age. By the age of twelve he had a darkroom, complete with an enlarger he designed and built.

He received a B.A. in a pre-med curriculum from Albion College in Michigan. While at Albion, he chose to pursue medical illustration as a career to combine his interests in science, art, and photography. He spent a year at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland to perfect his life drawing skills, and traveled extensively in Europe. He then attended Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and earned an M.A. in Art as Applied to Medicine.

Herb worked as a medical illustrator at the National Institutes of Health, then was recruited to Baylor College of Medicine in Houston by renowned cardiovascular surgeon Michael E. DeBakey, where he helped communicate the pioneering surgical techniques developed by Dr. DeBakey. Herb directed Baylor’s department of Medical Illustration and Audiovisual Education for 37 years, and served as Webmaster and Director of Web Development during the last seven years.

Because of his contributions to the field of biomedical communications, Herb was awarded the highest honors of the Association of Medical Illustrators and the Biological Photographic Association, becoming the first person to receive these awards from both associations.

Herb met his wife Susan in 1983 at the annual meeting of the Association of Medical Illustrators in Chicago. After a long-distance romance, Susan moved to Houston in 1985, and they married in 1988.

Herb fell in love with Wimberley when he first visited in 1974, and purchased land in 1978. He and Susan spent many weekends and vacations camping on the property, before moving here in 2002 and building their home using many “green” concepts and materials.

After retirement, Herb pursued his lifelong interests in photography and nature. He became a certified Texas Master Naturalist, and developed the websites for several area nature and environmental organizations. He served as president of the Hill Country Photography Club and was on the Board of the Texas Photographic Society. He was curator for the Wimberley Valley Art League Gallery for 10 years, and served as juror for a number of regional photography competitions.

Herb received national recognition and many awards in juried competitions for his photographs of the natural world. His work is in over 100 private and public collections. His fondest hope was “that my photographs will inspire others to recognize the value of the natural world around us, and …preserve as much of our natural areas and waterways as possible for future generations.”

Herb’s funeral was Tuesday October 19, 2021, attended by a small group of friends. A celebration of Herb’s life will be planned for a future date in Wimberley when it is safe for groups to gather again.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation in his name to The Nature Conservancy. Visit Nature.org / Membership & Giving / Other Ways to Give.