Dr. Vern Newton Smiley

Dr. Vern Newton Smiley, a pioneering scientist, devoted public servant, and beloved husband, passed away on June 29, 2026, at the age of 95. He is remembered for a remarkable career spanning decades of groundbreaking work in lasers and electro-optics, a lifelong love of birds, and a passion for the open road.

Born on September 7, 1930, Vern pursued his passion for science to the highest levels of academia, earning his PhD from the University of Colorado with a thesis on interference filters for the infrared. That foundational work would set the course for a distinguished career in government, military, and academic service spanning more than 27 years.

Vern’s career took him across the globe and to some of the most remarkable corners of scientific discovery. At Convair San Diego, he worked on an Air Force contract to develop and fly an infrared multi-spectral radiometer on an Atlas missile. He contributed to fundamental research in optics following the discovery of the laser in 1960, developed a laser physics curriculum for graduate and undergraduate students at UC San Diego, and carried out research assignments at the University of York in England. He conducted optical experiments at the South Pole in Antarctica, served as European Liaison in optical physics for the Navy in London, and led an electro-optics section of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Las Vegas, Nevada, where his work included underground nuclear testing experiments. In 1986, he returned to California, continuing his work in advanced technology at Point Loma.

In 1956, Vern married Sylvia Maday, his devoted partner of more than 60 years. Through Sylvia, Vern discovered a love of birds that grew into one of his greatest passions. Over the years he became an avid birder, and his favorite — the whimbrel, with its distinctive curved bill and far-ranging migrations — seemed a fitting spirit animal for a man who had himself worked on every continent. In his later years, he channeled that passion into his White Sands Gallery of local bird photographs. Vern also had a deep love of cars, particularly red sports cars. Among his most cherished memories was picking up his Mercedes directly from the factory in Munich and driving across Europe with Sylvia — an adventure that captured the spirit of a couple who embraced life fully, wherever it took them. Sylvia preceded him in death in 2018.

In his own words, Vern hoped that his life’s work in lasers and electro-optics had made “at least some small micro-dent in progress in those fields.” To those who knew him and the countless advances his work helped make possible, it is clear he left a mark far greater than he would ever have claimed for himself.

Dr. Vern Newton Smiley is gone, but his contributions to science, his country, and his community endure.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Dr. Vern Newton Smiley, please visit our floral store.