David Chiszar

Dr. Chiszar was my professor at CU in ethology my senior year. My two memories of him were when he called me out sitting in the front row wearing cowboy boots. It wasn´t that I was wearing boots, it was that they were made of "horned back lizard" which unknown to me were an endangered species. I didn´t know, I bought them on sale and as a poor student I loved the pattern. I never wore them again in his class and my second memory is I needed a single credit to graduate. He had me review his...

David was one of my Advisors for my Grad School work, along with Hobart (Smith), who was my major advisor. Hobart was the Grand Old Man of Herpetology at EPOB, David was Chair of Psych Department. I was EPOB, spent a lot of time in MCDB, and was excited to work in Psych. David had a room full of rattlesnakes. Any if us students could walk into room, and no big deal...as soon as Dr. Chizar just walked in the door, the whole room started to buzz. They *knew* immediately the guy who messed with...

Dr Chiszar was my Ethology professor at CU in the mid 80's. I was recently asked who my most memorable professor was and it didn't take but a minute to decide. He was brilliant, theatrical and unique. A great loss, but a great memory.

Godspeed David. Hope to see you on the other side.

I am so sorry to read this about Dave so long after his death. He launched me on my academic career, when he started his work at the Denver Zoo primate house. I always talk about his rattlesnake research in my classes.

Dr. Chiszar was a force of nature, who made a deep impression on me, especially as an older, returning student. I'll never forget the snakes in the lab, the summer zoo course, etc.

The most extraordinary memory, however, was the letter of recommendation he wrote for my medical school application, which was just overwhelmingly positive, encouraging, and gracious.

I am so saddened to hear of his untimely death, and wish to convey my deepest condolences to all his family and...

I was sorry to hear of David's passing. I know David from Rutgers University. I worked for Dr. Norman Spear and David was his graduate student. I spoke to Dave several years ago and he remembered me from my music background. Dave was a fun guy and I was glad he was very successful in his work. He is one of the few grad students that really took his research seriously. I knew he enjoyed fishing. I even helped him move when he was in North Brunswick NJ....Peter Stricker

I met Dr. Chiszar when I was an undergraduate at CU just as he was taking up weight-lifting. He liked to attend office hours in jeans, a t-shirt and red bandana around his head. Cool guy. Like many others have mentioned in this memorial, he worked hard to remember individuals and encourage them to excel. From his zoo course to statistics--I loved it all.
Fortunately for me, I have cherished memories of our mutual friendship with Hobart and Rozella. Dave had so many gifts but the most...

I will always be grateful for Dave's contribution to my understanding of ecology and the scientific process. He was a great teacher, and unselfishly mentored many who crossed his path outside of the university setting. His contributions to zoo herpetology are considerable, and I am richer for having had the opportunity to work with him on numerous projects. The scientific community lost a great scholar with Dave's passing. He will be missed on so many levels.

Peace friend.

I was a graduate student in experimental psych at CU and knew Dave as a teacher of statistics and as an inspirational scientist. Not only was he smart, he was genuine and kept it "real" in an academic environment. I am sorry he has passed on; he leaves an admirable intellectual and personal legacy.