On 26 September 1916 artist and ichthyologist, Margaret Mary Smith, was born in Indwe in the Eastern Cape.
Ichthyology is the branch of zoology that deals with the study of fishes. Margaret illustrated the book by her husband, Professor JLB Smith, titled Sea fishes of Southern Africa, which is regarded as one of the most comprehensive books on fishes in the world.
In January 1968, her husband died. According to those who knew him, he had said years earlier that he had no intention of living past 70. He took his own life by cyanide poisoning.
The couple jointly discovered 370 species of fish and published 500 papers and between 1968 and 1982 Margaret was the director of the JLB Smith Institute of Ichthyology.
On 30 April 1982, Margaret retired as director of the Institute, having served on the Senate and in the Faculty of Science at Rhodes University from 1968 to 1982.
She died on 8 September 1987 at the age of 70. The Margaret Smith Residence, a women’s hostel at Rhodes University, honours her contribution to the University and to international science.
Information sourced from: South African History Online.
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