I first met Jon in late 1990 when we overlapped for several months as Research Fellows in Mike Posner’s lab. Mike suggested that I show the new British visitor – a ‘hot shot’ from Oxford – around Eugene to make him feel welcome. After a couple of nights of visiting the bars and cafes in town we became firm friends. In the months that followed before I left to take up a post at Carnegie-Mellon we also undertook some camping trips, sampling Oregon coastal delights such as ‘oyster shooters’. Our conversations varied widely, but often centrered on the future of the field, and our intended contributions to it.
As the subsequent years went by our meetings were mainly at conferences. These meetings would usually entail drinking, along with some game during which Jon’s strong competitive streak would rapidly emerge. I recall hotly contested chess (at one meeting) and boules (at another) which Jon insisted that we play every night until he gained the upper hand!
Over the past decade our paths crossed more regularly in London and we had (sadly too few) lunches, during which Jon cross-questioned me on the state of the field and the personalities in it. At these lunches he often revealed his delight in fatherhood and his love of family life with Nilli. The last time we met for lunch Jon said that we must finally get around to writing a paper together after all these years. Sadly, I will never have that privilege.
From postdoc to professor we grew up together. The thought that he has gone is hard to take.
