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Binns On 3 April, William
Wright Binns, FRPharmS, aged 86, of 8 Hurstville Drive, Waterlooville,
Portsmouth, Hampshire PO7 7NB. Mr Binns registered
in 1945. (Tribute)
Johnson On 30 March, Kenneth Johnson, aged 67, of 308 Heysham Road, Heysham,
Morecambe, Lancashire LA3 2AZ. Mr Johnson registered in 1963 and retired from
the Register in 2006.
Ryan On 27 December 2006, Michael Ryan, aged 73, of 18 The Fairway, Lake Sandown,
Isle of Wight PO36 9EF. After registering in 1956, he worked in Northern Rhodesia
(Zambia) for 10 year. He then worked for Vestric in Preston, Bristol and Enfield
and finally for Cross & Herbert in Enfield before retiring to the Isle of
Wight in 2001. He retired from the Register in 2005.
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Tribute
Binns In a tribute
to the late William Wright Binns, GERALD
BLUNDEN writes:
It was with great regret that I learnt of the death of
Bill Binns. He was a remarkable man and was perhaps, for the pharmacy
students of his time, the most highly regarded staff member of the School
of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science at the University of Portsmouth. Bill
always had time to chat to the students and help them with their troubles
and tribulations. He was an excellent listener and people felt able to
discuss matters with him, knowing that he would give them sensible advice.
Bill was born in Cudworth, North Yorkshire, on 1 December 1920. He struggled
with ill health from the age of seven, when he began to suffer with bad and frequent
attacks of asthma. Although this interfered with his schooling, he was still
highly successful. He obtained a county minor scholarship at the age of 11 and
went to Barnsley and District Holgate Grammar School, from which he matriculated
and obtained a school certificate of the Northern Universities in 1936. He entered
VI B Science to study chemistry, physics, mathematics and German subsidiary but
because of bad health, he had to leave school in 1937.
It was not until 1939 that he regained sufficiently good health to start a pharmacy
apprenticeship with Billington & Sons in Barnsley, where he remained for
four years. During this period, he won the silver medal in the Pharmaceutical
Society’s herbarium competition and the Styles Trust first prize (1942).
On the advice of the Pharmaceutical Society, Bill was allowed to curtail his
pharmacy apprenticeship early and begin the intermediate BPharm course (London
external) at Bradford Technical College. On passing in 1943, he was admitted
to the College of the Pharmaceutical Society in Bloomsbury Square, London, from
which he graduated in 1945, obtaining on the way certificates in pharmacognosy,
chemistry and physiology, the Greenish memorial scholarship and the silver medal
and practical certificate in pharmaceutics.
After graduation, Bill was appointed as demonstrator in pharmacognosy, working
for T. E. Wallis. At the same time he started studying for a degree in chemistry
at Birkbeck College, graduating in 1948. Bill left the “Square” in
1950 to become assistant lecturer in pharmacognosy at the University of Nottingham,
but moved on to Liverpool College of Technology as a lecturer in pharmacognosy
in 1951. In Liverpool, Bill suffered badly with asthma and had four stays in
hospital. As a result he moved south and was appointed as a lecturer in pharmacognosy
at the then Portsmouth Municipal College. Luckily his health improved dramatically
and he stayed in Portsmouth, being promoted successively to senior and principal
lectureship. He retired in 1983.
Bill married June (Judy) Creese in 1948 and they had two children, John and Angela.
Judy, sadly, died in 1973. In 1990 Bill was diagnosed with oral cancer, which
required radiotherapy treatment followed by radical surgery. After many months
of misery, Bill returned home but subsequently had two further recurrences of
the problem that required more surgery.
Bill was well known for his love of cricket and was a classy opening batsman
with a cut shot that I always admired greatly. He was also an accomplished musician
and played jazz and swing tunes on the piano, without music. He played with many
local groups, particularly after he had retired. He had a great love of good
food and wine, which, sadly, he was unable to enjoy after surgery to remove the
mouth tumours.
Bill was a modest man and always underrated himself, although he played a major
role in the development of the School of Pharmacy at Portsmouth. He will be remembered
by generations of students and many friends for his quiet and kind help and advice.
I will remember him with affection and gratitude for the many ways in which he
helped me. We used to go to cricket grounds together, along with my wife, gently
sip champagne and put the world to rights. How I will miss these occasions.
Lewis In a tribute
to the late Robert
Lewis (PJ, 24 March,
p351), JOHN RYAN writes:
It was with great sadness that I read of the
death
of Bob
Lewis. Bob and his wife Peggy were stalwarts of the East Kent branch
of the Pharmaceutical Society when I moved to Kent in the mid-1960s — I
believe they each served as chairman, in successive years.
Bob was a gentle man with a dry sense of humour and always ready with
sound advice, if asked. I was the beneficiary of this advice when, as
a tiro pharmacist,
I was contemplating buying a pharmacy. I well remember going through the accounts
of my prospective purchase, with Bob, in the accommodation over the pharmacy
in Deal that Peggy was then running.
Tony, their son, continued in the tradition and ran a pharmacy in Deal until
recently. I used to see Bob in this pharmacy when I did locum work for Tony.
At this time he was looking after Peggy, who was far from well, and in fact
predeceased him. He always had time for a word.
He will be greatly missed. Our sympathies go out to Tony and his family.
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal