Dedication: Alexander Cruz (1941–2018)

Dr Alexander Cruz was born on 12 July 1941, and died on 15 May 2018 at the age of 76 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. As a scholar, Alex made substantial contributions to our understanding of avian ecology, brood parasitism and the evolution of fishes. After completing his BSc in biology at CUNY in 1964, Alex worked as a microbiologist for the New York City Health Department for 5 years. Alex obtained a Ford Foundation Fellowship when he enrolled in the Department of Zoology and Ecology at the University of Florida in 1968. He worked with David W. Johnston and studied Jamaican woodpeckers, which resulted in his 1973 PhD dissertation, ‘Ecology and behavior of the Jamaican woodpecker (Melanerpes radiolatus)’. Later that year, Alex joined the faculty at the University of Colorado (CU), where he would remain for 44 years of outstanding service before his retirement in the autumn of 2017. During his time at CU, Alex had a tremendous influence on his students, colleagues, and broader community. Alex was a renowned educator and received numerous awards for his teaching, including the highest teaching honour bestowed by CU, the Hazel Barnes Award. He was also recognized as CU President's Teaching Scholar from 1990 until his retirement. In addition to his professorial roles, Alex served as Assistant Dean and then Associate Dean of the Graduate School, and was faculty liaison to the CU graduate student union. Alex was passionate about increasing diversity in the sciences, providing access to research experiences for students from under-represented groups and fostering their development as scholars. From 1990 to 2000, he served as the director of the SMART (Summer Minority Access to Research Training) Program, which has provided research training for hundreds of students, many of whom were mentored by Alex directly. The Sloan Foundation recognized Alex's commitment to diversity in 2007 with a Certificate of Appreciation for increasing the numbers of students from minority backgrounds in the sciences. Alex was also dedicated to providing research opportunities to undergraduate students, as evidenced by the prodigious number of students he mentored. He mentored over 350 undergraduate students in his time at CU, 39 of whom wrote Honours theses based on their projects.

Alex also advised 43 graduate students, including 21 PhD dissertators, many of whom have continued on to become faculty themselves and continue the spirit of mentorship. Alex's commitment to sharing his research resulted in over 140 published papers and book contributions, at least 40 technical reports, and over 150 presentations at scientific meetings. While student and publication metrics can provide some summary for Alex's career, they cannot adequately describe the personal impact he had on each student he taught and mentored. Above all, Alex was generous. He was generous with his time, with his advocacy, and with his support. It was not uncommon to find Alex meeting with groups of students after hours, nor was it strange to find him helping students in the laboratory over the weekend, or filling in for someone's fish feeding duty over a holiday. Alex's legacy will be carried forward by his students. They are marked not only by his academic tutelage, but his giving nature as well. That the most selfless man has contributed so much to our understanding of the most selfish brood parasites is perhaps ironic, but then again Alex always had a great sense of humour.