Letter:
Terry Cross (1949-2007)

As News&Views was going to press, we received this message from Scripps Research Institute Professor Ian Wilson. To access a guestbook and to send a sympathy message to Terry Cross's family, click here.

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is with much sorrow that we learned Terry Cross passed away after suffering a massive heart attack at 6:19 PM on Friday, July 20, 2007. Terry was attending a national conference of the Knights of St. Peter Claver, a Catholic men's association in Dearborn, MI. His passing was unexpected; Terry was only 58 years old.

Born in Washington, DC, on March 10, 1949, Terry was one of 11 children, three sisters, and seven brothers. Terry was very proud to be a Marine (he was a retired Master Sergeant, and a 20-year veteran) who served two tours of duty in Vietnam and one in the Philippines, and was also assigned to the White House.

Terry began and ended his career at The Scripps Research Institute in the Wilson lab, where he worked since February 23, 1988--almost 20 years. He maintained the X-ray facility not only for the Wilson lab, but also for the Stevens, Tainer, Getzoff, Stout, and Chang labs. His training in electronics made him an invaluable asset to all of the crystallographic and other researchers whom he generously helped out. Terry was a familiar face to almost all of TSRI and for years played basketball with many co-workers here. He was always upbeat, cheerful, and friendly and enriched the lives of all whom he met. He will be sorely missed by all of us who knew and worked with him.

Terry is survived by his wife, Mona Cross, six children, and seven grandchildren. A funeral service was held in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, July 25, and a memorial service in San Diego on Saturday, July 28, 10:30 AM, at Christ the King Catholic Church, for all his friends and colleagues to pay their respect for a dear and respected colleague and friend.

Sincerely,

Ian A. Wilson

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu