Re: NANFA-- another sad loss

Jay DeLong (thirdwind_at_att.net)
Thu, 26 Jul 2001 13:17:26 -0700

<x-flowed>
At 09:19 AM 7/20/01 -0400, you wrote:
>It is my sad duty to tell you that NANFA member Frank Cross, Professor
>Emeritus at the University of Kansas, died yesterday (19 July 2001) from a
>massive viral infection, a complication associated with the treatment of
>cancer. As many of you know, Dr. Cross was the senior author of the
>excellent book, *Fishes in Kansas* and a leading proponent of fish
>conservation in the U.S.

Here is a little more info from Garold Sneegas:

> > From: "Wiley, E O" <ewiley_at_ku.edu>
> > Subject: Sad News, Frank Cross
> > Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 14:17:24 -0500
> >
> > Dear Colleague:
> >
> > It is my sad duty to tell you that Frank Cross died today (19 July 2001)
> > of a massive viral infection. His entire family attended him during his
> > illness. Marie Cross has indicated that the services will be private.
> > Cards sent to the residence are appropriate, but the family asks that
phone
> > calls and visitation be postponed to a later date. There will be a
memorial
> > service and wake to remember Frank in the fall, but no date has been
> > specified at this time.
> >
> > Sympathy Cards to:
> >
> > The Cross Family
> > 2729 Stratford Road
> > Lawrence, KS 66049-2847
> >
> > With regret,
> >
> > Ed Wiley
> >
> > ps, I encourage you to forward this email to others who may not have
> > heard this sad news.
> > EOW
> >
> > Frank Cross
> >
> > SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2001
> > Memorial services for Frank Bernard Cross, 75, Lawrence, are pending and
> > will be
> > announced by Warren-McElwain Mortuary. Private graveside services will
> > be in Pioneer Cemetery, Lawrence.
> >
> > Mr. Cross died Thursday, July 19, 2001, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
> > He was born Sept. 17, 1925, in Kansas City, Mo., the son of Frank and
> > Fearn (Hamilton) Cross. He served during World War II. He moved to
> > Lawrence in 1951. He was a professor of systematics and ecology at
> > Kansas University from 1951 until retiring in 1991. He wa a curator for
> > the Natural History Museum.
> > He married Marie Zepplin on Nov. 24, 1954, in Lawrence. She survives of
> > the home.
> >
> > Other survivors include a son, Frank, Austin, Tex.; two daughters, Betty
> > Sue Cross, Maryland Heights, Mo., and Julie Cross Hoko, Madison, Conn.;
> > a brother, Hays, Clinton, Okla.; a sister, Margaret Cross, Stillwater,
> > Okla.; and one grandchild.
> >
> > The family suggests memorials to the Kansas University Endowment
> > Association for the Department of Ichthyology or to a charity of the
> > donor's choice, and may be sent in care of the mortuary.
>
> Family, colleagues recall former biology professor
>
> By Stephanie Paterik
> SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2001 Lawrence Journal-World
>
> Frank Cross handled fish much as he handled people — with extreme
> interest and care. The former Kansas University biology professor spent
> a lifetime traversing the state to study fish, and he inspired many
> people along the way. He died Thursday at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
>
> Born in Kansas City, Mo., in 1925, Cross moved to Lawrence in 1951 to
> teach systematics and ecology at KU. There, he worked primarily with
> graduate students and was a curator for the Natural History Museum.
> Although he retired in 1991, he continued to work at the museum at least
> once a week, teaching students how to identify various species of fish.
>
> While many biologists examine fish under a microscope to identify the
> species, Cross would hike up his pants, trudge through a stream and
> identify them with his naked eye, said Joseph Collins, a former
> colleague. "He's the only person I know who could do that," Collins
> said. "The better students learned from him and went ahead, and the rest
> of us were left to look under the microscope."
>
> His son, Frank Cross Jr., said his dad traversed the state, wading
> through even the smallest ponds to examine various species of fish. "He
> loved field work," he said. "He traveled all over the state
> investigating every little creek, even ponds on peoples farms, to see
> what was there."
>
> Cross literally wrote the book on Kansas fish. His first textbook, "The
> Handbook of Fishes in Kansas," was published in 1967. He later co-wrote
> a text called "Fishes in Kansas" with Collins in 1975 and revised it in
> 1995. "Almost everybody in the state of Kansas who got a degree in
> biology learned about fishes
> from Frank or his writings," Collins said. Students who got to work with
> Cross in person were at an advantage, he added. People were drawn to his
> gentle demeanor and excellent sense of humor, said Ed Wiley, curator at
> the Natural History Museum. "He was a realist in terms of his outlook on
> life and the way he approached life," Wiley said. "I liked him
> immensely. He was the sort of person who, when he gave his opinion,
> people listened to it."
>
> Brad Kemp, assistant director for public affairs at the museum, said
> fair-mindedness and an unassuming nature were Cross' trademark traits.
> "What I think of when I think of Frank Cross is an unfailing, compelling
> sense of fairness
> and unfailing good will," he said. "He was always very friendly, and
> even after his
> retirement he cared deeply about this program and his colleagues."
> Although Cross was devoted to his work, family was always most
> important, said wife Maria Cross and son Frank Cross Jr.
>
> He is survived by three children. "He would want to be remembered for
> his family and how much we cared for him and he cared for us," said
> Frank Cross Jr., a law professor at the University of Texas. "I
> certainly use him as a guide for how to live my life."

--
Jay DeLong
Olympia, WA

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