Photographer Theodore Lamont Cross Dies at 86
March 3rd, 2010 |
In Memoriam
Birders United
Theodore Cross, a bird photographer, author, publisher, and founder of Birders United, died in Sanibel, Florida, on Sunday, February 28. He was 86.
“All of us at Birders United are extremely saddened by the passing of our leader and dear friend,” the group said in a statement. “He will be deeply missed.”
Cross published two critically acclaimed books of his bird photography: Birds of the Sea Shore and Tundra and Waterbirds, which was published just a few months back.
The esteemed Harvard University biologist Edward O. Wilson said of Waterbirds, “It’s a masterpiece. I do not exaggerate when I say that the back-jacket photo of Great Blue Herons is a candidate for the most beautiful illustration of birds in existence, photo or painting.”
A native of Wellesley, Massachusetts, Ted Cross was a graduate of Amherst College and Harvard Law School. He was a veteran of World War II, serving as a naval officer in the South Pacific.
After a long and successful career in professional publishing, Cross became an avid birder. He traveled the world from the far reaches of Siberia to the atolls in the mid-Pacific Ocean to photograph God’s majestic creatures. His goal, which he thought eluded him, was to take the perfect photograph of the reddish egret.
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March 9th, 2010 at 11:31 am
We have a vacation home on Sanibel Island and I have been by Mr Cross’s home numerous times as I have painted scenes on Woodring Road. I did not know who lived in his house and only after his death did I learn of the great man that lived there. I am so sorry that I did not have the chance to know him. Ironically, I have had his earlier book Birds of the Sea, Shore and Tundra for some time. It is a wonderful book. I look forward to getting the new book once it is again available.
His family must miss him terribly and be so proud of him.