Alan Baldridge passed away at 2 am on May 28, 2014. He had been struggling with a variety of disabling ailments before pneumonia claimed him. Alan and Sheila (Elizabeth) Baldridge, his wife of more than 50 years, were best known as librarians at Hopkins Marine Station and California State Universities� Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, respectively. They both aided and guided hundreds, if not thousands, of Master�s, PhD, and post-docs through throughout their extended educations. Alan was with Hopkins Marine Station as librarian and taught marine ornithology, from 1966 until his retirement in 1993. Sheila was at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories from 1978 to 1994. There was a brief interruption of five years as they worked at Florida State University in the early 70�s. Alan was a Charter Member of the Society for Marine Mammalogy, founding member of the Monterey Bay Chapter, American Cetacean Society, helped establish the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District. Alan also served on the boards of the Monterey Peninsula Audubon Society, Friends of the Sea Otter, Friends of Hopkins Marine Station and was a founding board member and trustee of the Earl and Ethel Myers Oceanographic and Marine Biology Trust. Alan and Sheila were recognized for their lifetime commitment to marine conservation during the 7th International Conference of the American Cetacean Society. They were presented with a bronze sculpture by Randy Puckett, a longtime friend of the Baldridges. An anonymous donor also gave $10,000 to establish a graduate research grant in their name. In 2013, the Honorable Sam Farr entered Alan�s and Sheila�s names in the Congressional Record of the 113th Congress (2013-2014) for their contributions to the community and conservation efforts. Alan had several impacts on California birding and marine birds in general. As a regular leader of many Monterey Bay pelagic trips, countless trips aboard the M/V Tage, operated by Hopkins and completed many of the earliest transects of Monterey bay recording bird and marine mammals, probably the most extensive at the time since Rollo Beck. Alan was a member of the editorial board of the first three volumes of California Birds (thereafter called Western Birds). Alan also was also Regional Editor for the Audubon Field Notes/American Birds (Northern California). He also served as seabird editor for the Middle Pacific Coast Region for 12 seasons Alan co-authored with John Davis The Bird Year A Book for Birders with Special Reference to the Monterey Area, co-authored with David G. Gordon Gray Whales. The Alan Baldridge Endowed Book Fund (1993) was established to purchase materials related to the local history of Monterey County, marine birds, and marine mammals. Alan was also instrumental in acquiring funds for the construction of the Harold A. Miller Library of Marine Biology. Alan also published the first reference on a Killer Whale/Gray Whale predation event, along with publications on Risso�s Dolphin, Sea Otters, and Brown Pelicans. He also advised on Leatherback Sea Turtles, Bottlenose Dolphin, and many other research questions posed by graduate students. Alan and Sheila's travels took them from East Africa, Eastern Arctic Canada, Bering Sea, Russia, Sea Of Cortez, Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska. There are plans for a memorial sometime in late July and a future ash scattering on his beloved Monterey Bay. This crater in our lives that Alan�s death represents, will heal over when we realize our lives were touched by a genuine scientific hero and a plain good person. Keep a thought for Sheila and his brother Ken. If further news of any changes in the memorial schedule occurs, I will post them on American Cetacean Society, Monterey Bay FaceBook page. You may contact me directly. Richard L. Ternullo rtenullo@aol.com