In Loving Memory of

John Alcock

1942 – 2023

Memorial Service

Date & Time: 2/20/23 at 5pm
Location: Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix AZ

Dr. John Alcock was born in Charlottesville, VA in 1942 and died in Mesa, Arizona on January 15, 2023. He grew up in rural Landenburg, PA surrounded by farms, woods and marshes. He was given a pair of binoculars at age seven and this gift sparked his life-long passion for birdwatching and nature. 

He dedicated his academic career to the study of living things. He graduated from Amherst University in 1965 and received his PhD from Harvard University in Evolutionary Biology in 1969, studying under Ernst Mayr and E.O. Wilson.  

After graduation, he was quicky hired by the University of Washington. A field trip to the Chiricahua mountains in southern Arizona changed his life. He fell in love with the Sonoran Desert and decided to move to Arizona. He said on many occasions that the Sonoran Desert is the only place he would ever consider living.

He joined the Zoology faculty, now named the School of Life Sciences, at Arizona State University in 1972. At ASU, Dr. Alcock was among the first to be named Regent’s professor. He was a prolific author of hundreds of articles in the scientific and popular press.  In 1975 his Animal Behavior textbook was published.  With 11 editions, the textbook was highly regarded and was printed internationally in many different languages. He also received many awards and professional recognitions.

He had an insatiable curiosity for the natural world. He loved the birds and insects in the Sonoran Desert and bees and orchids in Western Australia. He was a quintessential field biologist, armed with his binoculars, specimen jars, and insect net.  His favorite study site was in the Usury Mountains near Phoenix, where he carried out decades of research on the mating systems of insects. Dr. Alcock was especially interested in how tarantula hawk wasps find mates. Year after year he would trek to learn how these formidable wasps interacted with males and females of their species. In later years he repeatedly visited Western Australia where he discovered a new species of orchid, studied the mating behavior of Dawson Burrowing bees, and made lasting friendships with human beings.

He authored eight books on natural history, including In A Desert Garden. He was a very early adopter of desert landscaping. That book described both that process and the insect life that flourished in his yard after the transformation. His yard won an award from the City of Tempe and the book won the John Burroughs Medal for distinguished natural history writing. 

He was known for his impressive garden in his front yard in Tempe. He would ride his bicycle to the University rain or shine. Neighbors would invariably bring bizarre insects in jars to his front door, knowing that he would be able to unfailingly identify them. He loved reading to his grandchildren. From time to time, had to take a break from a chapter if the book became too sentimental.

Dr. Alcock continued to publish and do research until his last years. During the summers you could find him on the family farm in Virginia studying fireflies and a variety of other creatures that lived in the lawn. Despite his infirmity, he found the strength to hike down the hill and across the creek to the Bald Eagle’s nest on his property.

His passing has been felt by his colleagues, friends, and thousands of his students and readers. Warm wishes have come from all corners of the world by people who were affected by his keen academic mind. One student from Poland wrote that he spent the equivalent of a month’s salary for a copy of his Animal Behavior textbook in the 1980s. He still had the copy and regarded the purchase as one of the best he had ever made.

Dr. Alcock fought a courageous and admirable battle against Parkinson’s disease. He is survived by his sons, Joe and Nick, grandchildren Abby and Jacob, his sister Nan, and his wife of 53 years, Sue. Memorial services to be announced at www.JohnAlcock.com.

Share your favorite memory of John

Mike Oscar Johnson KY – shared a memories

Hello,

This is Mike from Monkey Digital,
I am contacting you to discuss a exciting business deal.

How would you like to place our promotions on your site and link back via your custom affiliate link towards popular products from our business?

This way, you make a solid 35% residual income, every month from any transactions that generate from your website.

Think about it, everyone benefit from SEO, so this is a huge opportunity.

We already have 12k+ affiliates and our commissions are paid out every month.
Last month, we distributed over $27,000 in commissions to our affiliates.

If you want in, kindly chat with us here:
https://monkeydigital.co/affiliates-whatsapp/

Or join us today:
https://www.monkeydigital.co/join-our-affiliate-program/

Looking forward,
Mike Oscar Johnson

Phone/whatsapp: +1 (775) 314-7914

Edward Camarena – shared a memories

Hello,

We have a promotional offer for your website johnalcock.com.

World’s First Super Intelligent AI Chat That Unlocks ALL-ACCESS PASS To Every Premium AI Tool On Earth… With A Single Command

(Imagine what you could create with ALL of them working together seamlessly.)

Unlock the Entire Universe of AI Instantly.. Simply type or speak your request and watch as it intelligently routes your task to the PERFECT AI engine)

See it in action: https://www.novaai.expert/AISuperBOT

You are receiving this message because we believe our offer may be relevant to you.
If you do not wish to receive further communications from us, please click here to UNSUBSCRIBE:
https://www.novaai.expert/unsubscribe?domain=johnalcock.com
Address: 209 West Street Comstock Park, MI 49321
Looking out for you, Ethan Parker

Kenny Sawyer – shared a memories

Hello,

We have a promotional offer for your website johnalcock.com.

CREATE 100s of STUDIO QUALITY SCROLL-STOPPING SHORT VIDEO — From a Keyword, Auto-Prompt or Image
HOOK VIEWERS IN SECONDS — With Visually Stunning, Cinematic Shorts
BUILD A VIRAL BRAND — Gain Followers, Fame & Passive Income.
BECOME A SHORTS CREATOR POWERHOUSE — No Camera, No Talking, No Editing Needed
100% YouTube Monetization Friendly – Easily Customize Script, Voice or Branding to Avoid “AI-Only” Restrictions
POST & GO VIRAL ON YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook & More — In 1 Click

See it in action: https://www.novaai.expert/ShortBeastAI

You are receiving this message because we believe our offer may be relevant to you.
If you do not wish to receive further communications from us, please click here to UNSUBSCRIBE:
https://www.novaai.expert/unsubscribe?domain=johnalcock.com
Address: 209 West Street Comstock Park, MI 49321
Looking out for you, Ethan Parker

Manuel Fairbridge – shared a memories

Hello,

We have a promotional offer for your website johnalcock.com.

Access DeepSeek AI, ChatGPT, Google Veo3, Luma AI, Claude, Gemini Pro , Kling AI, Mistral, DALL.E, LLaMa & more—all from a single dashboard.
No subscriptions or no monthly fees—pay once and enjoy lifetime access.
Automatically switch between AI models based on task requirements…. AND MUCH MORE

See it in action: https://www.novaai.expert/AIModelSuite

You are receiving this message because we believe our offer may be relevant to you.
If you do not wish to receive further communications from us, please click here to UNSUBSCRIBE:
https://goldsolutions.pro/unsubscribe?domain=johnalcock.com
https://www.novaai.expert/unsubscribe?domain=johnalcock.com
Address: 209 West Street Comstock Park, MI 49321
Looking out for you, Ethan Parker

Anthony Bruce – shared a memories

Two types of businesses right now:

Type A: Still waiting anohter 12-18 months for their ERC refund, hoping the IRS eventually gets to them

Type B: Working with us to get their funds in 6 weeks or less

Which would you rather be?

Your guarantee: If we don't cut your wait time by at least 75%, you pay nothing.

Reply to this messael or shoot a message to anthony@jmrcapital.co

Let's turn that pending credit into working capital NOW.

Best,

Anthony
JMR Capital

Limited to 20 new clients this month – 8 spots left

Arianne Blosseville – shared a memories

Drive targeted traffic to your site with our affordable AI-powered solution, saving you big compared to pricey paid ad campaigns. Contact us to learn more.

https://ow.ly/UPXZ50WAb9L

Sunny Bruner – shared a memories

Ready to maximize your website’s reach? Our intelligent AI system draws ideal visitors using keywords with location-based tags from countries to city streets.
Seeking more revenue, active website traffic, or stronger online impact?
We refine it to fit your plan. Enjoy a 7-day free trial period with no contract. Begin here:

https://ow.ly/95yt50WAbaO

Abi – shared a memories

With 9 years’ eCommerce experience, I handle core operations at $10/hr — product uploads, inventory updates, order processing, returns, price management, managing spreadsheets, plus chat & email support. We manage Amazon, eBay, Shopify, WooCommerce, Google Merchant, Facebook Shop, Walmart, Etsy & more. Let’s jump on a Zoom call and get your store running at its best!
E-mail me: Businessprocessoutsourcing1@outlook.com

Stacie Laws – shared a memories

Ready to unleash a flood of website traffic? Our AI-powered solution attracts perfect visitors using keywords and location specifics from countries to neighborhoods.
Aiming for increased earnings, livelier engagement, or stronger online reach?
We adjust it to match your objectives. Enjoy a 7-day free trial period with no contract. Join here:

https://ow.ly/ffIb50WvEru

Share a photo of your memories with John

Upload your photo below to display in the gallery.

Upload Photo(Required)
Accepted file types: jpg, jpeg, png, gif.