Windland Smith Rice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windland_Smith_Rice

Sandra Windland "Wendy" Smith Rice (1970–2005) was an American photographer well known for her work in nature and animals.

Biography

Rice was the first child of Frederick W. Smith, founder of FedEx. FedEx's first plane in 1973 was named Wendy after her.

Graduated from St. Mary's Episcopal School in Memphis, Tennessee. At Duke University, she studied drama. She pursued a dramatic career in Hollywood, where she had very modest success (2 minor movie roles and 2 television episodes over a span of about 3 years). (Some of her credits are under the name "Windlind Smith".)

She married Jeffrey Scott Rice, a business executive. They had two sons, Mason Frederick Rice and Alden James Rice.

Windland Smith Rice became an accomplished photographer of nature and animals, completing commissions for organizations such as Fujifilm, the National Geographic Society, and Nature's Best Photography magazine. Her work won several awards and has been exhibited in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. The annual Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards are named after her. She was also well known in the field for her encouragement of other photographers.

Her interest in working with wildlife was exemplified by her membership on the board of the Earthfire Institute, an organization "dedicated to protecting wildlife by creating a bridge between humans, and animals in the wild," by rescuing animals that can no longer live in the wild.

Windland Smith Rice died of Long QT Syndrome Type 2, a cause of death that particularly affects athletes. Windland Smith Rice was a triathlete and marathon runner. The Mayo Clinic has opened the Windland Smith Rice Sudden Death Genomics Laboratory to study this and similar diseases.

Following Windland Smith Rice's death, her sister, Molly Smith, produced the film P.S. I Love You, which she dedicated to Windland Smith Rice.

A portfolio of Rice's nature pictures of Yellowstone are featured in the Memphis Zoo's Teton Trek.

Windland's Smith Rice's Widower Jeffery Scott Rice has since remarried.

• Updated from U.S. Social Security Death Index (SSDI) by SmartCopy: Jul 15 2015, 17:47:20 UTC