ObituaryNelia Smith
Submitted on Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Nelia Mae Smith, Denton, undergraduate advisor in the Mayborn School of Journalism,
who had worked in the journalism program since 1987, died June 4. She was the department’s
first secretary and, after retiring in May 2002, returned the next fall to work in
the school’s undergraduate advising office. She earned her bachelor’s degree from
Texas Tech University and received teacher certification for kindergarten through
12th grade. Students remember her as kind, calming and helpful. She turned her passion
for gardening into a company called Plants Alive in the early 1980s, which allowed
her to supervise interior landscaping for more than a dozen businesses, including
Barton Creek Mall in Austin. She supervised the installation of the interior landscaping
at Golden Triangle Mall in Denton when it was built and was its caretaker for the
next six years. Survivors include her husband of 52 years, Don Smith, recently retired
biology professor and tree expert.