The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7204 p935
29 June 2002

Cocker On 19 May, William Francis Cocker, MRPharmS, of 7 Fourth Avenue, Denvilles, Havant, Hampshire PO9 2QU. Mr Cocker registered in 1958.

Evans On 18 May, Victor Leonard Douglas Evans, MRPharmS, of 33 The Mount, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire WD3 4DW. Mr Evans registered in 1948.

Goodwin On 25 December 2001, Neville Frederic Goodwin, MRPharmS, of 58 Shetland Way, Radcliffe, Manchester M26 4UH. Mr Goodwin registered in 1930.

Hayden On 24 April, Donald Geoffrey Hayden, FRPharmS, of "Pioneer", 5 Gorse Close, Mundesley, Norwich NR11 8JZ. Mr Hayden registered in 1939. He was a former chairman of Suffolk area pharmaceutical committee.

Jones On 7 March, Veronica Una Buchan Jones, née Ross, MRPharmS, of Flat 7, Cottage Lawns, Heyes Lane, Alderley Edge, Cheshire SK9 7NF. Mrs Jones registered in 1947.

Mccall On 19 May, Elizabeth Mitchell Mccall, née MacIntyre, MRPharmS, of 72 Main Street, Thornton, Fife KY1 4AG. Mrs Mccall registered in 1943.

Sheldon On 18 May, Dorothy Pagdin Sheldon, MRPharmS, of Parkgate Nursing Home, The Parade, Parkgate, South Wirral, Merseyside L64 6SQ. Mrs Sheldon registered in 1935.

Spencer On 11 June, Elizabeth Simpson Spencer, née Weir, MRPharmS, of 14 Boambee Street, Port Macquarie, New South Wales 2444, Australia. Mrs Spencer registered in 1951.

Thom Recently, Alexander Smith Thom, of 63 Highworth Avenue, Cambridge CB4 2BQ. Mr Thom registered in 1931 and retired from the register in 1991 (see Tribute, Column 2).

Vogt On 10 May, Paul Vogt, of 162 Burnside Road, Kendal, Cumbria. Mr Vogt registered in 1933 and retired from the register in 1975.

Wilcox On 8 May, Raymond Wilcox, MRPharmS, of 17 Gillity Close, Walsall WS5 3PW. Mr Wilcox registered in 1938.

Tribute

Myers In a tribute to the late John Annesley Myers (PJ, 1 June, p787), RONALD KAYE writes:

I was deeply affected when I read of the death of John Myers. I was one of those who had the pleasure of teaching him in the department of pharmacy at the former Bradford Technical College, where he was studying for the London External BPharm degree. In return I learned a lot from him and it soon became apparent that he would go far.

Jack had admirable academic qualities. He was able to immerse himself undividedly in a problem. He read and thought both deeply and widely and was thus quickly able to acquire expert knowledge of any topic that interested him. He was also an excellent lateral thinker and would approach a problem from a new angle and suggest better ways of solving it.

He often talked to me about his intention to make his career in hospital pharmacy, a choice that had undoubtedly been influenced by John W. Cooper who, like Jack, had also received his early training at the Bradford Royal Infirmary and then became an eminent hospital pharmacist, a renowned teacher and the author of several highly successful textbooks on pharmaceutical subjects.

Jack Myers believed firmly in having the right qualifications to perform all the tasks demanded of him. He also thought that knowledge of pharmacy and science alone was insufficient to produce a first class hospital pharmacist. He therefore went on to study public administration and obtained the diploma in this subject. His interest in law thus kindled, he proceeded to the degree of LLB. Many other qualifications followed. He therefore had all the expert knowledge needed to deal with any aspect of his work, so furthering his career and making him an invaluable member of the many committees on which he served.

Not long ago Jack wrote two letters in which he outlined the many changes he had made in the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary when he was chief pharmacist. Clearly he was at the heart of everything there, usually working 60 hours a week through staff shortages, and in his words "because I was determined to keep everything in working order and deliver the best pharmaceutical service the ERI ever had. I made a point of never complaining, 'choose ow' hard the going became".

Jack Myers reached the very summit of his chosen profession. Pharmacy in general and Scotland in particular owe him an immense debt of gratitude. To his widow I offer sincere condolences.

Thom In a tribute to the late Alexander Smith Thom (see Column 1), S. J. HOPKINS writes:

I met Mr Thom in 1946 when I came to Cambridge to take the position of chief pharmacist at Addenbrooke's Hospital. I soon found that he had one of the best equipped pharmacies in town, with a professional reputation to match. He was held in high esteem by his customers and the local doctors, since many of the former would seek his advice before considering seeing the doctor. He was in some ways a clinical pharmacist long before the term was invented. He was a man of high personal and professional principles.

Outside pharmacy he had many interests. He was a well read man, a strong chess player, a keen bird watcher and wildlife photographer, and a watercolour artist of no mean ability. He was a good and generous friend, and I recall with deep gratitude when, at a time of great personal and physical distress, he gave me the shelter of his house and home until my wife was able to take control again. His later years were clouded by disability and blindness, but he retained his cheerfulness to the end. He leaves a glow of happy remembrance in the hearts of all those who were privileged to know him.

Walton In a tribute to the late Clive Anthony Walton (PJ, 11 May, p669), GEOFFREY ANDREWS writes:

My wife and I were shocked to hear of Clive's untimely death. We had known him for over 35 years and he was a good friend.

Clive Walton spent his entire career in the pharmaceutical industry, working for Glaxo at Greenford and later Ware. After graduating from the University of Nottingham in 1962, Clive joined the pharmaceutical research and development department of Glaxo Laboratories. He worked on a variety of projects in those early years and quickly showed his considerable ability. Clive had a particular talent for creating ideas and thinking out ways of solving technical problems. Towards the end of the 1960s he gained a master's degree in Pharmaceutical Engineering Science and in the early 1970s gained a PhD for research in powder technology. At that time, he was also an active branch member, serving as secretary and later chairman of the Harrow and Hillingdon branch.

In 1976, he was appointed head of pharmaceutical formulation at Greenford and held the position until he moved to Ware in late 1989. During that time, he took a number of important products to the market, including Zinacef, Fortum and Zinnat. Clive promoted high standards in pharmaceutical development that were vital as Glaxo transformed from a predominately United Kingdom company to an international one. He fostered a close co-operation between development pharmacists and analytical chemists. He always did his best for all his staff and made sure that he remained approachable at all times.

In the mid 1980s, Clive was appointed the user representative for the creation of a new pharmaceutical development facility at Ware. He was ideally qualified for this task and the result was (at the time) the most advanced pharmacy research and development building in the world. It was opened in 1989 and, characteristically, Clive ensured that there was a really good party when we left Greenford. After moving to Ware, Clive was given the job of setting up the quality assurance department in pharmaceutical development. He retired in 1995.

Working with Clive was never boring. It was always stimulating and enjoyable. We may have had problems to resolve but there were always lots of laughs along the way. After retirement, he and his wife Barbara moved to Weymouth. Many of his friends attended a 60th birthday party for him last August and, for most of us, that was sadly the last time we saw him. He will be greatly missed by us all and we offer our deepest sympathy to Barbara and their children, Julia and Christopher.