I had always wanted to be a teacher, until Jon became my undergraduate supervisor in 1994. The process of critiquing papers and designing experiments with him was intoxicating. His open, frank style encouraged me to voice ideas I should probably have been reluctant to. He provided feedback that cut straight to the point, yet also gave encouragement. I chose research, with Jon, because of that experience. He has been my teacher, my mentor, my advisor and my collaborator. My heart goes out to Nilli and their children.
Some disparate recollections:
- Using his collection of 12-inch records as a chin rest for a pilot study.
- Knowing a manuscript was close to submission when his annotations only covered a quarter of the page. We called it being “Drivered”.
- Driving a transit van across London with him after he and Nilli sold me my first sofa and dining table.
- Expecting deep insight whenever his questions began: “This is a naïve question, but…”.
- Stumbling across a music press review of The London Boys while using his amplifier as stumps for “lab cricket”.
- Fish and chips at “London’s best chippy” whenever the lab had a visitor to impress.
- His ability to persuade myself and others.
