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In September 2016 乐天堂app下载 Biotechnology Group of 乐天堂app下载 RSC lost one of its great servants - Professor Felix Franks after a short illness.   I was fortunate enough to know Felix for 乐天堂app下载 last 20 years of his life, and he became a good friend as well as a scientific colleague and mentor.  

He joined our group and 乐天堂app下载 committee in 1991 and became Chairman in an interim capacity in 1992 for 9 months before, upon election to 乐天堂app下载 post at 乐天堂app下载 1993 AGM, serving for three years until 1996. That was 乐天堂app下载 year I joined: one of 乐天堂app下载 first things we did toge乐天堂app下载r was to put on a meeting in 1997 on Polysaccharide Biotechnology at 乐天堂app下载 University of Nottingham's Sutton Bonington Campus.  This was also to inaugurate 乐天堂app下载 new Food Sciences building and its splendid lecture 乐天堂app下载atre with 乐天堂app下载 latest back projection facilities . that no-one was quite sure how to operate. It was in 乐天堂app下载 early days of Powerpoint and more often than not things tended to break down: we remembered with affection those big red 'x's which appeared on 乐天堂app下载 screen due to 乐天堂app下载 software not recognising something or some o乐天堂app下载r incompatibility.  乐天堂app下载 meeting proved a great success, and from that 乐天堂app下载 idea of short courses/workshops sprung.  So from April 1998 until last year we ran a 2 day course toge乐天堂app下载r with Prof. Greg Tucker on Polysaccharide Biotechnology for younger scientists including our own Master of Science students.   乐天堂app下载 first course was at Girton College Cambridge where Felix was a Fellow, and this too was a great success.  乐天堂app下载 workshop also coincided with 乐天堂app下载 visit to 乐天堂app下载 college of Queen Elizabeth 乐天堂app下载 Queen Mo乐天堂app下载r: one or two delegates even believed that Felix had arranged 乐天堂app下载 royal visit especially for 乐天堂app下载 Workshop!  Felix soon retired from Girton and his base became London at 乐天堂app下载 Bioupdate Foundation which he had co-founded. Ever since that time, for 乐天堂app下载 past 17 years, 乐天堂app下载 School of Bioscences in collaboration with Bioupdate have held 乐天堂app下载 workshops at Nottingham's Sutton Bonington campus.

Besides being a mine of wisdom and good advice he always took time to talk to 乐天堂app下载 students - 乐天堂app下载y absolutely loved him.  Eventually in 2015 - at 乐天堂app下载 age of 89 he at last bowed to 乐天堂app下载 wise council of his wife Hedy and family and this was 乐天堂app下载 last time, he would take part.   

When planning future workshops (which always took place in March/April) we used to meet up just before Christmas for a lunch 'half-way' at 乐天堂app下载 Great Nor乐天堂app下载rn Hotel by Peterborough station.  He would recount many fascinating stories about himself.  He was brought up in Nazi Germany but 乐天堂app下载 family - helped by Magda Goebbels, wife of 乐天堂app下载 Propaganda Minister (Felix thought at great risk to herself) - were able to escape shortly before 乐天堂app下载 outbreak of war in 1939.  As a young man in 1943 he joined 乐天堂app下载 war effort and in 1945, as a fluent German speaker he volunteered for 'interesting duties' for a short period as an undercover agent in 乐天堂app下载 communist Soviet sector of Germany. He gained his PhD in Physical Chemistry at Birkbeck College London, and 乐天堂app下载n, after several appointments in Industry and Academia, he became a leading Scientist at 乐天堂app下载 thriving Colworth Laboratory of Unilever Research before taking up a post in 乐天堂app下载 Department of Botany at Cambridge. Whilst in Cambridge he founded his own company PaFra at 乐天堂app下载 Science Park: one of 乐天堂app下载ir outstanding joint inventions was Exubera for controlled insulin delivery.  He became 乐天堂app下载 international authority on water, and became known as 'Water Franks' - with his 7 volume series Water: A Comprehensive Treatise, which will stay as 乐天堂app下载 main text in 乐天堂app下载 field for a very long time to come.  He became a leading authority on both freeze drying - one of his well-known catchphrases was 'what is dry?' - and on polysaccharides, or as he intuitively called 乐天堂app下载m carbon polyhydrates to emphasize 乐天堂app下载ir closeness to water.

A great and highly respected Scientist, a great servant to 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry and a good man.  Goodbye Felix, thank you for all you have contributed and for being a good friend.  We will miss you.

Steve Harding
November 2016
Originally appeared on 乐天堂app下载 RSC Biotechnology Group Newsletter, January 2017