In Memoriam: Gary Smith (August 9, 1947–December 23, 2022)

The NEARC and the New England GIS Community have lost one of its amazing GIS leaders, Gary Smith. Gary helped start NEARC and was elected Chair at the first meeting back in 1986 (NEARC History). He was a true pioneer of GIS throughout New England, especially in Vermont, and he procured the first Esri license in the northeast at the University of Vermont (UVM). For so many ARC Users, Gary lit the spark of GIS for them and tirelessly grew spatial datasets and maps throughout his years at UVM and through his consulting business, Green Mountain Geographics.  Gary was the 2007 recipient of the Peter S. Thacher Award, which is presented each year at NEARC’s Fall Conference (2007 Thacher Award Recipient). Gary will be sorely missed and his contribution to both GIS and NEARC will never be forgotten. A celebration of his life was held on January 28, 2023. Donations may be made in Gary’s name to the Binter Center for Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders at the UVM Medical Center.
 
Gary Smith Obituary: Gary Scott Smith Obituary - Essex Junction, VT | A W Rich Funeral Home (awrichfuneralhomes.com)
 
Tribute to Vermont 2022 GIS Year in Review: 2022: The Year in GIS (arcgis.com)

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Gary played a key role at the 1985 ESRI User Conference