Page 80 - Eclipse - Autumn/Winter 2022
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a year later, Francis moved to lead the   In the mid-1980s David was
        Physiology department at the Royal   approached to write a definitive
        Veterinary College in Camden Town   textbook on the subject he’d
        and David followed him there. The RVC   specialised in, after five-six years of
        was to become a significant part of his   intensive work, ‘The Mitochondrion in
        life for the next 40 years.         Health & Disease’ was finally published
                                            in 1992. It became the standard     WE ALSO PROUDLY
        Academically David’s passion had    teaching text for a whole generation
        zeroed in on the mitochondrion, the   of undergraduate biochemists. At this   REMEMBER:
        microscopic energy power plant      time, he developed a strong interest
        embedded deep within every living   in teaching and the pastoral care   Peter Allen                 1949
        cell. He later described seeing electron-  of the students, and was appointed   Bryan Auckland      1962
        microscope images of these minute   to administer the original hardship/  George Barker             1951
        organelles and being entranced by their   access funds, and the “DDT” brand of
        slender shapes and rounded forms...   quirky lectures became well-known to   David Barnet           1950
        “it was love at first sight”.  Discovering   generations of young vets.   Jeffrey Ronald Brain      1951
        precisely how these mitochondria                                        John Kelvin Bunner          1959
        create energy for the body became his   He had a deep passion for art –   David George Sidney Burch   1972
        first academic obsession – he focused   and particularly Thomas Gainsborough.   Peter John Clark    1978
        on discovering how the oxidation    He saw no contradiction in soaking   Michael Creek              1959
        of foodstuffs was completed via     his veterinary tutees in the arts
        the oxidoreduction reactions in the   – and formed the ‘RVC Fine Arts   Christopher Paul Devile     1960
        intracellular respiratory chain are linked   Group’ with a programme of art   Robert Iain Malcolm Elliott   1977
        or “coupled” to adenosine triphosphate   visits and expeditions.        Keith Griffith              1951
        (ATP) synthesis. It was in this field that   In retirement, he stayed intellectually   Susan Hiscock   1976
        David was awarded his PhD in 1963,   active and increasingly was drawn to   Robert Geoffrey Holmes   1954
        shortly followed by starting a two-year   the diligent study of the life and times   John Keele     1962
        post-doctoral research fellowship   of Thomas Gainsborough; publishing
        in Philadelphia.                                                        Brian Thomas Lawrence       1956
                                            various papers on the artist’s life and   Michael John Mathewson   1963
        It was at the University of Pennsylvania   often being quoted as a source in   Peter Plumley        1965
        that he met his wife Janine Gonze,   definitive publications on the artist.
        a young Belgian researcher, herself   Even in October 2021, the publication   Maurice Polley        1952
        studying for a PhD in the same field.   of Sue Sloman’s reference work on   Bryan Robert Pooley     1962
        They co-authored a set of research   ‘Gainsborough in London’ pays a    Susan Jane Potter           1979
        papers between road trip tours      special acknowledgement to the      Peter Daniel Rossdale       1952
        around the US, and weekends on a    research provided by David Tyler.   Leonard Henzell Rutherford   1956
        colleague’s sailing boat on Chesapeake   He is survived by his three sons,   Colin Rolph Sitford    1964
        Bay. They got married in 1965 back   Bernard, Colin and Richard – their
        in Namur, Belgium, ahead of living in   wives and his seven grandchildren.  Stephen Sparrow         1967
        Bruxelles for a year whilst their first child                           Jean Margaret Turner        1971
        was born and before moving back to                                      Paul John Walden            1989
        the RVC. Indeed, they even selected a                                   David Wylie                 1964
        house in Barnet conveniently positioned                                 Tony Mulchansingh
        between the RVC’s Camden and                                            Alan Smith
        Hawkshead locations, and was
        appointed to become a permanent                                         ...and our other RVC alumni
        lecturer on the physiology course;                                      and friends who are sadly
        which he coupled in those days with                                     no longer with us.
        significant fundamental research.

                                                                                OBITUARIES
                                                                                We are keen to pay tribute
                                                                                to RVC alumni who have
                                                                                sadly died. If you would like
                                                                                to share your stories and
                                                                                memories of a relative, friend
                                                                                or colleague, please email us
                                                                                at alumni@rvc.ac.uk


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