A tribute to Enrico Serpagli (1936-2023) and Maurizio Gnoli (1948-2023)

It is known, when one begins an academic career, that sooner or later he or she will have to write an obituary. We know it, or perhaps we only sense it, but we never truly think about it. It remains distant, abstract, something we imagine will belong to another time. I could never have imagined that I would one day find myself writing two obituaries at the same time, and not for colleagues at a distance, but for those whom I consider my true-life mentors, who shaped me professionally but also gave me so much on a human level. I needed more than a year to find the strength to write these pages, and it is a privilege to write these words as the President of the Italian Paleontological Society. The profiles that follow highlight only the scientific side of polyhedric people who, in truth, lived with many different passions and interests, both in science and in their private lives. I followed this approach because that’s what Professor Serpagli asked me to do. He told me how he wanted to be remembered, and I wanted to respect that. Strangely, what I feel now is not a sense of loss, but rather a profound sense of richness, for all that they left me. So often, I catch myself reasoning in ways that echo their voices. I pause and think: This is what Prof. (Serpagli) would have thought… this is what Maurizio would have said. It is in these quiet recognitions that I understand the true measure of their inheritance. They did not simply impart knowledge; they instilled a way of thinking, a way of living, a way of approaching the world with integrity and curiosity. What remains is not emptiness, but abundance, the richness of their example, the strength of their mentorship, and the humanity they shared so generously. Thank you both.