Biography.guide
Home › People › Photographer › Windland Smith Rice
Portrait of Windland Smith Rice

Windland Smith Rice

1970 – 2005

American photographer

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Windland Smith Rice

Lived 1970 – 2005 (aged 35). Windland Smith Rice was an American photographer.

Sandra Windland "Wendy" Smith Rice (January 19, 1970 – May 31, 2005) was an American nature and animal photographer.

Biography Sandra Windland Smith-Rice was the first child of Frederick W. Smith, founder of FedEx and Linda Smith Grisham McFarland. She had five sisters and three brothers, including Arthur Smith, the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. FedEx's first plane in 1973 was named "Wendy" after her. She was born on 19 January 1970 in Little Rock, Arkansas.

She graduated from St. Mary's Episcopal School in Memphis, Tennessee and studied drama at Duke University.

Rice became a nature photographer, completing commissions for organizations such as Fujifilm, the National Geographic Society, and Nature's Best Photography magazine. Her work won several awards and has been exhibited in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Nature's Best Photography's annual Windland Smith Rice Awards are named after her. She served on the Nature's Best Photography board and was the master of ceremonies for Nature's Best Photography Awards events.

Rice died suddenly in Memphis, Tennessee, on May 31, 2005, of Long QT Syndrome Type 2 while visiting her mother. The Mayo Clinic opened the Windland Smith Rice Sudden Death Genomics Laboratory to study this and similar diseases. Her family and friends established a memorial fund in her name under the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes Foundation. Rice's sister, Molly Smith, dedicated the 2007 movie P.S. I Love You in her memory.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Education
Duke University

People in Windland Smith Rice's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Windland Smith Rice's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Windland Smith Rice?

American photographer (1970-2005)

When was Windland Smith Rice born?

Windland Smith Rice was born on 19 January 1970 in United States.

When did Windland Smith Rice die?

Windland Smith Rice died on 31 May 2005 in Memphis.

What was Windland Smith Rice's occupation?

Windland Smith Rice was a photographer.

What nationality was Windland Smith Rice?

Windland Smith Rice was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Windland Smith Rice

· Wikidata: Q519241

· DBpedia: Windland Smith Rice

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Windland Smith Rice. https://biography.guide/windland-smith-rice/

MLA: "Windland Smith Rice." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/windland-smith-rice/.

Chicago: "Windland Smith Rice." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/windland-smith-rice/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:02 UTC