RICHARD ALEXANDER 1946-2006 – PALEOAUTECOLOGIST EXTRAORDINAIRE

This symposium is dedicated to the memory of Richard Alexander, outstanding paleoecologist, who died tragically in a swimming accident last December. Alex was born in Covington, Kentucky, in the heart of the fossiliferous strata of the Upper Ordovician Cincinnatian Series. Alex's fascination with science, particularly paleontology, developed early. He earned his BS degree in geology in 1968 at the University of Cincinnati before entering Indiana University where he received his AM and PhD degrees in 1972. At Indiana Alex expanded his work on Ordovician brachiopods and developed an interest in Neogene fossils from California. He also had his first formal experience with modern marine organisms and environments during a course in the Florida Keys. After serving on the Utah State geology faculty for nine years he moved to Rider University where he was a vital member of the faculty for 26 years. Alex's research resulted in over 100 published papers and abstracts. He made major contributions to our understanding of morphological adaptation to differing environments especially in brachiopods, mollusks, and echinoids. Alex is renowned for his pioneering work on predation in brachiopods. He became increasingly interested in modern bivalves as reflected in his research on predation, burrowing rates, shell strength, and stability relative to substrate and currents. Experimental and taphonomic studies characterized much of his later research. Although much of his early work was single authored, he became increasingly involved in cooperative research with colleagues and students as his career progressed. Alex was also an outstanding teacher. His former students site his ability to instill an excitement in research. He was instrumental in establishing marine science courses for Rider students in Bermuda, Maine, and Honduras. He was chair of the Department of Geological and Marine Sciences at Rider for 21 years and an Assistant Dean for nine. Perhaps most important, despite the demands of an exceedingly active career, Alex found ample time to be a loving husband and father.