Lasting Memories

Clement Smith
April 7, 1952-Feb. 2, 2023
Aptos, CA

Clem grew up in Palo Alto and developed an interest in world travel when he spent part of his youth in Europe. Later as an adult, he fulfilled much of the urge to travel by becoming an adventurous camper and hiker. When he lived in Palo Alto, he was a brilliant teenager who liked to play in chess tournaments at Stanford and liked to help Phd students that he met at the Stanford AI Lab. Clem also had many hobbies, and with much musical influence from his parents, he learned to play guitar and played music with his friends.

In the 1970s, Clem taught himself computer science and developed the first robotic arm used in car manufacturing assembly lines. He worked as a computer engineer on many projects for Microbot, Inc. and also enjoyed tinkering with various other computer science and robotics based projects throughout his life. This included virtual worlds, such as Second Life and attending board meetings of international computer scientists, influencing AI and virtual reality development.

In the 1990s, Clem pursued becoming a business owner and a mineralogist. After raising his children in Portola Valley, he worked as the Chief of Mineralogical Intelligence at Jewel Tunnel Imports in southern California until 2015 when he retired in Aptos, CA. Clem led a peaceful life overlooking the Monterey Bay until he died after many complications while bravely fighting lung cancer. He is survived by his adult children, Leland, Kimberly, and Thomas, his beloved cats Smudge and Dust Bunny, and his sisters, Stefanie and Teresa.