{"id":11135,"date":"2021-06-03T12:16:59","date_gmt":"2021-06-03T16:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/?page_id=11135"},"modified":"2023-09-12T10:59:36","modified_gmt":"2023-09-12T14:59:36","slug":"fitz-tributes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/fitz-tributes\/","title":{"rendered":"Tributes and Memories"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-vimeo wp-block-embed-vimeo wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/545184557?h=c664a7d2fd&amp;dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This video tribute to Fitz features memories and accolades from longtime friends, colleagues, supporters, and peers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More Tributes<meta charset=\"utf-8\"><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Fitz, I wish you and Molly the very best, and Hank joins me in that.&nbsp; I have no doubt that your next chapter, whatever it may be, will continue in service to conservation\u2014first, because I know it\u2019s important to you and second, because we need your voice.&nbsp; Thank you for all that you\u2019ve done, not only for the Lab but for the entire world of nature and nature lovers.<strong>\u2014Wendy Paulson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>I would just love to share to Fitz how privileged I feel to have met and to have been in the presence of such a human being. That illuminates for me the potential of human beings, of what it means to be human.<strong>\u2014Claudia Madrazo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Fitz, congratulations on a life well-lived at the Lab and to your extraordinary companion, Molly. I can&#8217;t imagine a better person to go through life with. And thank you from me and from everybody who loves and appreciates what you&#8217;ve done.<strong>\u2014Deedie Rose<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Fitz you&#8217;ve educated our minds, you&#8217;ve sparked our imaginations, and you&#8217;ve invigorated our hearts. You are one of a kind, a most spectacular and rarest of birds. I know that I am one amongst many that are just so grateful for all that you&#8217;ve given to our world.<strong>\u2014Maria Schneider<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>John&#8217;s enthusiasm and knowledge has far exceeded the best alarm clock in rousting us from bed at atrociously early hours to share the sights and sounds of wonderful birds. Great memories in Antartica, the Lesser Antilles, and the Amazon.<strong>\u2014Sherry and Doug Caves<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Soon after the new Lab was occupied and most of the 250 employees had been hired, at a board meeting, Fitz expressed his frustration &#8212; too many staff were reporting to him. Enter the CEOs on the board, a roll of butcher&#8217;s paper, and a black magic marker. Using their corporate experiences, on the paper the CEOs drew a pyramid-shaped structure with Fitz at the top and various directors below him, with the result that only four or five staff reported to him. A similar structure is still in place today.<strong>\u2014Carol Sisler&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>I regret that I only traveled with Fitz and Molly once &#8211; Florida Gulf Coast and Interior Heartland &amp; Archbold, March 2019. I will never forget Fitz&#8217;s vigorous and perfect calling in of Barred Owls from on top our flat top trucks. And, of course, both Fitz and Molly were delightful hosts. I do hope they will continue to host some trips.<strong>\u2014Heather Hodges<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>I knew of Fitz when he was a The Nature Conservancy Board Member. We are glad he and Molly came to the Lab. With the help of Fitz and Ned Morgens, Becky and I began to understand the possibilities for the Lab and help fund the early software. Fitz\u2019s vision plus his understanding of the need for a systems thinking drove the unbelievable success of the Lab. He and Molly\u2019s tireless outreach effort encouraged the necessary funding to support the global work. Congratulations and thanks for all you have done.\u2014<strong>Jim Morgan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>In winter of 1994 (or was it 1995?), as Director of Cornell\u2019s Division of Biological Sciences I was off to give a talk to Cornell alumni in Florida. But I was given a secret mission by the Lab of O\u2019s chairman, Ned Morgens: my wife Jennifer and I were to go to the Archbold Biological Station, to visit with our esteemed colleague Tom Eisner, but actually to meet John and Molly and sell Cornell and Ithaca to this hot shot guy who ran the place. I vividly remember the brief, but animated conservation Fitz and I had as we pumped gas into his field vehicle after he, and tale sharing Tom, took us on a tour of the scrub. And of the warm and exciting conversation we had as Jennifer regaled Molly with the delights of our wonderful academic town. One goal a number of us had was to strengthen the academic ties between the Lab and Cornell, and I think that thought resonated with him. He certainly made it happen in the years that followed. In any case whatever we all did way back then worked, and the Lab, Cornell, birders and birds around the world have gained immeasurably from our acquisition of this rare scientist\/educator\/administrator. Our hats are off to you Fitz and Molly. Thanks for being who you are and what you have done.<strong>\u2014Peter and Jennifer Bruns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>John, now that you&#8217;re retired, maybe you can come up sometime to Chicago. It&#8217;s been fun to see you at meetings, but it would be great for you to be able to spend more time at the Field Museum where you have a lot of friends from the past.<strong>\u2014David Willard<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Fitz, it&#8217;s been a delight to work with you. I&#8217;m really excited now that you will finally have time to focus on Florida Scrub-Jay research more instead of all the other things that you used to do. Thank you so much for being such a wonderful academic mentor to me.<strong>\u2014Nancy Chen<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Fitz, I just want to thank you so much for all that you&#8217;ve done for my career, for all that you&#8217;ve done for the Lab of Ornithology, and all that you&#8217;ve done for bird conservation.<strong>\u2014Nathan Senner<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you so much for being such a wonderful academic mentor to me. Thanks for going with me to India and giving me the opportunity to show you India and I hope now that you&#8217;re not director anymore you have a little more time on your schedule to take a few weeks off and bird with me again.<strong>\u2014Sahas Barve<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Fitz, your leadership has meant so much to me and to all of us at the Lab of Ornithology. We know how much you care about each of us and we treasure your warmth, your humor, your full presence in every conversation, your support, your intuition, your boldness in interacting with and changing the world around us.<strong>\u2014Miyoko Chu<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull add-margin-top narrow is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"article-list card-display card-three \"><ul><li class=\"article-item\"><div class=\"article-item-container\"><div class=\"article-item-media content-article\" data-link-to=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/thank-you-fitz\/\"><figure class=\"article-item-media-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/fitz-koski-ft-1200.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/fitz-koski-ft-1200-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/fitz-koski-ft-1200-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/fitz-koski-ft-1200-480x360.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/fitz-koski-ft-1200.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"\" alt=\"John W. Fitzpatrick by Jason Koski\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"article-item-body\"><a class=\"article-item-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/thank-you-fitz\/\"><span class=\"article-item-header\">Thank You, Fitz! Celebrating 26 Years of Vision and Impact<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/li><li class=\"article-item\"><div class=\"article-item-container\"><div class=\"article-item-media content-article\" data-link-to=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/a-quarter-century-of-leadership\/\"><figure class=\"article-item-media-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/young-birders-event-2011-chris-wood-4x3-1-1280x960.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/young-birders-event-2011-chris-wood-4x3-1-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/young-birders-event-2011-chris-wood-4x3-1-1280x960.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/young-birders-event-2011-chris-wood-4x3-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/young-birders-event-2011-chris-wood-4x3-1-480x360.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/young-birders-event-2011-chris-wood-4x3-1.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" alt=\"John Fitzpatrick speaks to a group of young birdwatchers on a forested road\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"article-item-body\"><a class=\"article-item-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/a-quarter-century-of-leadership\/\"><span class=\"article-item-header\">A Quarter Century of Leadership<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/li><li class=\"article-item\"><div class=\"article-item-container\"><div class=\"article-item-media content-article\" data-link-to=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/fitz-tributes\/\"><figure class=\"article-item-media-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/florida-scrub-jay-alex-lamoreaux-207504981-1500-4x3-1-1280x960.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/florida-scrub-jay-alex-lamoreaux-207504981-1500-4x3-1-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/florida-scrub-jay-alex-lamoreaux-207504981-1500-4x3-1-1280x960.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/florida-scrub-jay-alex-lamoreaux-207504981-1500-4x3-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/florida-scrub-jay-alex-lamoreaux-207504981-1500-4x3-1-480x360.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/florida-scrub-jay-alex-lamoreaux-207504981-1500-4x3-1.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" alt=\"Florida Scrub-Jay by Alex Lamoreaux\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"article-item-body\"><a class=\"article-item-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/fitz-tributes\/\"><span class=\"article-item-header\">Tributes and Memories<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More Tributes Fitz, I wish you and Molly the very best, and Hank joins me in that.&nbsp; I have no doubt that your next chapter, whatever it may be, will<a class=\"excerpt-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/fitz-tributes\/\" title=\"ReadTributes and Memories\">&#8230; Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11138,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_birdpress_hero_toggle":false,"_birdpress_hero_type":"image","_birdpress_hero_image_type":"image","_birdpress_hero_style":"default","_birdpress_hero_ratio":"","_birdpress_hero_h1":"","_birdpress_hero_media_id":0,"_birdpress_hero_media_array_id":[],"_birdpress_hero_media_array":[],"_birdpress_hero_media":0,"_birdpress_hero_video_id":0,"_birdpress_hero_video":0,"_birdpress_hero_youtube":"","_birdpress_hero_content":true,"_birdpress_hero_byline":"","_birdpress_hero_byline_bottom":"","_birdpress_hero_button_link":"","_birdpress_hero_button_text":"","_birdpress_hero_button_color":"","_birdpress_hero_date":false,"original_guid":"","_birdpress_hide_search":false,"_birdpress_page_width":"page-narrow","_birdpress_global_cta":false,"_birdpress_widget_sidebar":"","_birdpress_next_article":0,"_birdpress_next_article_title":"","_birdpress_prev_article":0,"_birdpress_prev_article_title":"","_birdpress_sub_navigation_id":165,"_birdpress_sub_navigation":"fitz-transition-pages","_birdpress_sub_navigation_title":true,"_birdpress_anchor_navigation_id":0,"_birdpress_anchor_navigation":"","_birdpress_postType":"both","_birdpress_categoryID":0,"_birdpress_tagID":0,"_birdpress_parentPostID":0,"_birdpress_parentPostTitle":"","_birdpress_menuID":0,"_birdpress_menuName":"","_birdpress_listHeader":"","_birdpress_listLayout":"card-display","_birdpress_listColumns":"","_birdpress_maxItems":12,"_birdpress_listPaginate":true,"_birdpress_displaySort":true,"_birdpress_sortOrder":"DESC","_birdpress_sortBy":"date","_birdpress_listID":"","_birdpress_listClass":"","_birdpress_displayImages":true,"_birdpress_displayCaptions":false,"_birdpress_displayExcerpts":false,"_birdpress_attTop":"","_birdpress_attBottom":"","_birdpress_showLogos":false,"_birdpress_post_logo":0,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-11135","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11135"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11135\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birds.cornell.edu\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}