From the President
Another successful Annual BCA Meeting behind us and each one seems to have some new attraction to offer and entertain us on the social scene, but never fails us on the science. Cardiff this year was no exception; a full program of lectures, workshops and posters with splendid male voice choirs, Cardiff of Crystallographic Yesteryear and the elegance of the Lord Major's reception and dinner in the Town Hall. We congratulate Mike Hursthouse and his hardworking, cheerful and friendly team of colleagues for giving up their time and skills for our benefit and enjoyment. It was indeed splendid to see the ex-Cardiff crystallographers for dinner on the Tuesday, who had started their careers before many of our members were born and yet who are now household names to the latter. We thank Mike for organising this session and for those who joined us in the staff club that evening. Also we must not forget the generous sponsorship by our commercial colleagues of the various social functions and of the meeting in general and who have become very much a central, welcome and vital part of our meetings. I'm sure we all enjoy the opportunity to see what's technologically new in the field and even if we don't have the money to spend, we are made welcome at their booths. At the same time as we go to press, the co-ordinating committee for Cambridge 1996 are meeting and we wish them good luck in their planning for the next successful BCA. Preliminary details for the Cambridge program are shown later in the Newsletter.Since our last Newsletter, the two memorial services for Dorothy Hodgkin and John Rollett, took place, quite by chance in Oxford on the same, brilliantly sunny March Saturday afternoon. The University church was packed for the service for Dorothy with a great number of our members and friends paying their respects. Baroness Thatcher was there, representatives from Bristol University where Dorothy was the Chancellor for so many years and also those from the University of Oxford. Members of the family and Somerville College gave short addresses, but the major address was given most movingly and eloquently from the high pulpit by Max Perutz. It is with his permission that I have included a transcript of this in the Newsletter. Similarly with the address given by Durward Cruickshank in respect of the memory of John Rollett later the same afternoon. John's service in St Cross was a smaller, but nonetheless very moving ceremony with friends and colleagues from all aspects of his life and work represented. Each speaker gave vent to the strong feeling that John had indeed left us too soon, too fast, and that there had been so much more for him to do and that he himself had planned to do. It seems sad to me somehow that one meets so many old friends, albeit fleetingly, on such occasions and I couldn't help feeling that John and Dorothy both missed two excellent parties, full of scientific chatter, reminiscences of their lives and laughter.......or did they??
Congratulations to Jenny Glusker (nee Pickworth and a student of Dorothy) and to Ken Trueblood, who had also worked with Dorothy, on receiving the Fankuchen Awards of the ACA this year. Jenny is spending a year in Chemical Crystallography at Oxford and we have had the pleasure of her company at out meetings during this time. Don't forget the Logo competition for 1999 to be judged in time for the prize to be awarded at the Cambridge BCA next spring. Also please, any nominations for the various IUCr offices/commissions, send to myself or one of the Council members soon.
Apart from all those exam papers which will be waiting for many of us to grade this summer; a glance ahead shows that there's the usual amazing list of conferences which will be attended each by at least one of our members somewhere around the world. I hope to meet with some of you at Lund and Montreal.
Judith A.K. Howard
April 1995
Page last updated 19 May 1995
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