Alexander Dennis CrossMarch 29, 1932 - June 11, 2018Alex Cross passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on June 11, 2018. He was born and raised in Leicester, England, where at an early age he excelled at school while working in farm fields to help support his family. His experiences of the air raids during World War II left a lasting impression that inspired a lifelong passion for history, particularly of political and military leaders such as Winston Churchill who was his hero. Although he lost his parents during childhood and struggled with polio as a teenager, Alex was nonetheless an accomplished athlete in gymnastics and football (soccer) and went on to complete both a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in organic chemistry at the University of Nottingham by the age of 23. He later earned a D.Sc. from Nottingham for his research in the fields of spectroscopy and stereochemistry.

Alex first arrived in the United States on a Fulbright scholarship, as a chemistry post-doc at the University of Rochester from 1955 to 1957, the same institution where Dr. Alex Zaffaroni did groundbreaking research in corticosteroids and with whom he worked a few years later. After several chilly winters in upstate New York, he decided to move back to London to spend three formative years (1957-1960) under the mentorship of Nobel Laureate, Sir Derek Barton, at Imperial College – London University. He served as a researcher and lecturer of organic chemistry, with a particular emphasis on scientific methods that also proved instrumental in his subsequent career in industrial research. He spoke of working long winter nights in the lab, driven both by his desire to excel and by a need to avoid the cost of heating his apartment. He alternated those evenings in the lab with performances at the Royal Opera House where, from the standing room section, he could experience the likes of Joan Sutherland, who planted the seeds for what grew into his love for the art form.

In 1960, Alex was recruited by Syntex Corporation to join a team of world-class scientists, including Drs. Rosenkranz, Zaffaroni, and Djerassi to develop and commercialize the first oral contraceptive (a.k.a, the Pill). Without speaking a word of Spanish, he jetted off to Mexico City and began an 18-year tenure that culminated in the position of President of Syntex International Pharmaceuticals and Senior Vice President of Corporate Economic and Strategic Planning. Alex often spoke fondly of these years in Mexico: working on cutting-edge science alongside fellow expats in a rapidly growing company, traveling the globe for work, and dipping down to sunny Acapulco with friends for festive weekends on the coast.

As Syntex's focus turned toward the US market and operations began in Palo Alto, Alex moved to the SF Bay Area in the early 1970s. Not long after, he met his wife Antonia with whom he shared a love of sport, travel, and opera. The two would routinely host dinners at their home, in which opera luminaries mingled with internationally recognized scientists. Their marriage was filled with trips to, or visits from, friends located around the world. They shared this wanderlust with their two sons, Guy and James.

In 1979, Alex joined Zoecon Corporation where he assumed the role of President and CEO from 1984-85. From 1986 onward, he formed a biotech consultancy and served on the boards of more than 20 different companies. He also formed Cytopharm Inc., which sought to develop photodynamic (light-sensitizing) therapies to treat an array of illnesses such as psoriasis. In the course of his career, Alex was a named inventor of 109 issued US patents and co-authored more than 90 peer-reviewed research papers. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 1966 at the young age of 34 and lectured at more than 30 universities and institutions across five continents during his lifetime.

Alex served for 21 years on the board of directors of the San Francisco Opera Association. He championed wildlife conservation and reconnected with his childhood farming days at a family ranch in west Sonoma County where he raised cattle, sheep, and horses. He was also an avid soccer (football) enthusiast, supporting the Leicester City Foxes even from "across the pond," and took his sons on several legendary World Cup trips, always rooting for mother England. These were outdone only by the decades of ski trips with his wife and friends. He took pride in raising a close-knit family, always aiming to be home for dinner every night even while running a company. He cared deeply for the well-being of his wife and sons even as his own illnesses developed. In his later life, he enjoyed spending time with his grandsons, earning the affectionate name of "Choo-Choo Papa" for the model trains he would set up for the boys.

Alex is survived by his wife Antonia of 44 years, two sons Guy and James, three grandsons Nelson, Darcy and Mackenzie, and two brothers Peter and James. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the San Francisco Opera Association, Seattle Opera, Wildlife Conservation Network, or Imperial College London – Department of Chemistry via the Imperial College Foundation.