Many of the people who were working with us in the Sheffield Department are not easy to find now. Stan Ainsworth was an academic staff member who worked with Gregorio, I think now might be living in France. Jim Longworth, Gregorio’s research student in Sheffield, now works in the Physics Department at Chicago Tech., and Rod Bennett, one of Vince Massey’s protégés, is long retired. Both would no doubt be good sources of stories from the good old days, as would Audrey White. Sonia Anderson, whom I got to know well in Urbana was one of the first I met in the fluorescence group there, and is still working in science.

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And now more than forty years on, many old friends are no longer with us. Gregorio’s closest collaborator was John Teale. He was always full of fun and would have had lots of good stories to tell, but sadly he died in his early seventies: Jennifer, his widow might be helpful, as she knew Gregorio quite well. Gregorio and John would cross Western Bank together to have lunch at the Staff House: on the way back, Gregorio would often buy a packet of “peppermint lumps” and offer them around on his return to the Department in the afternoon.

Sometimes they worked together with the late (Professor Sir) George Porter FRS, who moved on to become Director of The Royal Institution in London in 1966, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1967,and later became President of the Royal Society and Lord Porter of Luddenham): ”Handsome Georgie Porter”, Gregorio used to call him! A superb lecturer and an equally impressive ballroom dancer, George became a star television performer. His BBC series on thermodynamics is a classic of science TV broadcasting, and many still remember his Friday night lectures at the RI.

John Teal was employed on a series of contracts from the U. S. Army Research and Development Corps, and at the time we could not understand why Gregorio refused eventually to support renewal. In retrospect however, it is now easy to see that the senior scientist always had the career of his junior partner at heart, and harboured no wish to keep John working forever in his Mentors shadow. This was an expression of his concern for the well being of others, so typical of Gregorio: he was always genuinely interested in doing the best for those in his charge. John soon became a lecturer in the University of Birmingham.

When the Sheffield Department underwent it’s “brain-drain”, Colin Greenwood (Quentin Gibson’s research student) and his wife Pat, went with Quentin to Britton Chance’s Department of Biophysics at U Penn in Philadelphia. Colin later returned to England and eventually became a Professor in the University of East Anglia.

As well as becoming one of the world’s leaders in research on cytochrome oxidases and also like Quentin, Colin was highly adept at the invention and construction of mechanical and electronic equipment, very important skills for the building of the equipment used in their rapid-reaction studies.

Colin, who died in 2007, was a wonderful gentleman; charming, quietly spoken and shy, a very popular member of our Department, a great friend of Gregorio and to us all.

The Sheffield Biochemistry Department was a great place to be in the late 1950’s and early 60’s. It was full of very special and memorable people, and the students and staff were one big happy family. Many of us thought of Gregorio as the senior person in this family, not only as the source of knowledge and reliable advice, but also as a tower of strength. Unlike many who have big scientific reputations, he was so unassuming, caring, and kind.