On The Verge submission - ripp Sculptures

Mr. Smith was born 5 weeks after Hitler invaded Poland starting World War II. The war, following so closely as it did on the heels of the great depression, brought in a time of deprivation and sacrifice. For Mr. Smith, family pressure pushed him in the direction of professional achievement and material security. His natural inclinations pulled him in the direction of making things and artistic expression.

With spotted success, he pursued careers, first in city planning, and then as a computer programmer. From time to time, he dropped out to do manual work as a carpenter, a gardener or a pipe fitter.

Mr. Smith's interests were in the inventive and creative. At Cornell, he invented a simulation game dealing with economic development and received a Ford Foundation grant to work on that game. Also, he formulated a resource allocation technique using linear programming which was chosen by the Agricultural Economics department at Cornell for use in a field study. He has published poetry in several magazines and given public readings at 2 Universities. His poems were used as the basis for a theatrical performance at Temple University in 1975.

Since 2002, Mr. Smith has devoted himself exclusively to sculpture. He has had 2 one-person shows and has an outdoor sculpture group displayed at the Our Community Center in Harrisonburg, VA.

Mr. Smith lives in Asheville, NC, with his wife, Muriel, and his dog, Sweet Pea.

Education
AB – Philosophy
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
1962

MRP – Master of Regional Planning
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
1965

AB – Sculpture
Philadelphia College of Art
Philadelphia, PA
1970

MCS – Master of Computer Science
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
1995