Michael Spinner Smith
Born: 1948. Married to Janice Rae Littleton (MD) (all our children have paws or hoofs). Two brothers, Stephen and Andrew. My parents, Paul (1914-2006) and Ruth (1915-2002) were both educators, my father working his way from high school science teacher to school superintendent in 3 cities and assistant dean at the college of education at Cleveland State. He authored several science books used in the 1950s and 1960s. My mother was a sociology teacher and raised 3 boys. She could be labeled as a saint, but as a Unitarian, she didn’t go in for that sort of stuff.
High School: Pierre S. duPont, Wilmington, DE (valedictorian), 1966
College: Dartmouth, BA in Chemistry (summa cum laude), 1970.
Medical School: University of Colorado (magna cum laude, AOA), 1974.
Internship: Presbyterian Medical Center, Denver (Rotating/medicine), 1974-1975.
Military Service:
US Navy: Reserve Ensign, LT (j.g.) 1971-1975. Active Duty: Medical Officer USS St. Louis (LKA-116), 1975-77; Medical Officer, Amphibious Squadron SEVEN, 1976-77. Honorably discharged at LT, 5 July1977.
Residency: University of Arizona, 1977-1980; chief resident, 1979-80.
Faculty: Assistant profesor, University of Arizona, 1979-1981. Adjunct Assistant/associate professor of neurology, 1981-1990.
Private Practice: Neurological Associates of Tucson, 1981-1992.
Medical Director, St. Mary’s Hospital, 1993-1998; senior medical director (quality), 1998.
Graduate work: M.S., Experimental Statistics, New Mexico State University, 1998-2000.
Consulting in statistics, quality and patient safety in medicine, 1999-2005. Reader for AP statistics examination, 2003-2006.
Organizations past held office:
Pima County Medical Society, 1981-present; vice-president, secretary/treasurer.
Arizona Medical Association 1981-2004; treasurer, vice-president.
Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association, Chief Observer, 1986.
Volunteer work:
- Wilderness ranger, US Forest Service, Ely, MN, Kawishiwi District, May-October 1992.
- Volunteer work, US Forest Service, each year 1993-1999.
- Mathematics, chemistry tutor, CDO High School, 2002-2011. Substitute teacher, CDO HS 2010-present.
- Mathematics tutor, Sabino High School, 2002-2011.
- Literacy Volunteers of Tucson, 2006-present.
- Tucson Audubon Society Field Trip leader, 2006-present.
- Rowe Audubon Sanctuary, Gibbon NE, 2008, 2010-2011.
- Past docent, Kitt Peak National Observatory, 1986-87.
Publications: 60 articles, not including twenty years of weekly astronomy columns (750 in all) in the Arizona Daily STAR and 9 years of monthly columns in Pima County Medical Society.
Articles published in the following fields:
- Military Medicine (Naval Institute Proceedings)
- Mental arithmetic (The Arithmetic Teacher)
- Wilderness ethics (The Boundary Waters Journal)
- Volunteering for the Forest Service (Medical Economics)
- Patient safety columns (Physician Executive)
- Neurology (clinical) (Archives of Neurology, Neurology)
- Neurology (humanities) (Neurology)
- Eclipse viewing and chasing
- Variable star viewing (Intl Amateur-Professional Photoelectric Photometry)
- Past CME Web page on why physicians make errors
Writing awards:
American Academy of Neurology: Creative Expression Award for Human Values in Neurology (A Wise Owl),2003. Prize donated to Medecins sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders).
Writer’s Digest: Honorable Mention, Non-fiction, “Lunar Phases for Writers and Editors,” 2003.
Hobbies:
Canoe Tripping
Backpacking and Hiking
Amateur astronomy and eclipse chasing
Mathematics and anything numerical
Reading
Freelance writing
Running
Former cyclist (65000 miles, until I had one too many accidents, bringing my fracture total to nine); still volunteer with PBAA for some of the cycling events.
Taking care of more cats than I ever thought we would have.
OUTDOOR RESUME
CANOE TRIPPING:
25 trips into Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario–150 days. Guided four trips (1967).
60 trips into the Boundary Waters/Quetico (Minnesota/Ontario)–260 days, 300 lakes.
The upper 200 miles of the Yukon River, including Lakes Laberge, Bennett, Nares and Tagish.
The Nahanni River (World Heritage Site) from Rabbitkettle Hot Springs to the Liard River.
BACKPACKING/HIKING:
Section hiked the southern quarter of the Appalachian Trail (527 miles).
6 multi-day Grand Canyon trips, including rim to rim.
2 times over Alaska’s Chilkoot Trail.
2 trips into ANWR (Kongakut and Aichilik River basins).
Arrigetch Peaks (Alaska), Alatna River (and Takahula Lake).
Noatak River (Alaska), 16 miles backpacking, 80 miles of river travel.
Walked the length of Isle Royale (wolf in my campsite for 10 minutes, 10 miles from nearest other person.)
Multi-day trip into Olympic National Park.
Ten twenty-plus mile days, including three in a row.
Fifty times up Wasson Peak, twenty times up Mt. Wrightson and Mt. Kimball (Tucson).
NATIONAL PARKS:
Seen 42; have hiked more than 10 miles in more than half, 50 miles in five.
VOLUNTEER WORK:
Five months with the Forest Service in Ely, MN (1992).
Week-long trips from 1993-1999 with the Forest Service in Ely.
Volunteer at Rowe Sanctuary (Audubon) during Crane Migration, Gibbon, NE, 2008, 2010-2012.
ECLIPSES:
Seen 17 central solar eclipses, 12 total, 6 annular on or over six continents, both North and South Poles. Seen 12 total lunar eclipses. The total eclipses were seen in Baja Mexico, Bolivia, India, Siberia, Aruba, Zambia, over Antarctica, South Pacific Ocean, Libya, over the Arctic Ocean, China, and Argentina. The annular eclipses were seen in Arizona, San Diego, Costa Rica, Spain and Kenya.
