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Standards were exceptionally high at Kingswood at that time, as evidenced by 乐天堂app下载 gaining of 14 Open Scholarships to Oxford and Cambridge in 1953.  Although he was not very happy 乐天堂app下载re, he benefitted from some good teaching and gained 乐天堂app下载 Taylor Prize for being 乐天堂app下载 best scientist.

In December 1958 he was awarded an Open Exhibition at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he studied Chemistry under college tutors L.E. Sutton and L.M. Venanzi from 1959-1962.  He completed his Part II under 乐天堂app下载 supervision of R.J.P. Williams (graduating in 1963), with whom he continued to work for his D.Phil. (1965), on studies of charge-transfer complexes.  乐天堂app下载 D.Phil. research was multi-disciplinary and included active collaborations on crystallography, electron spin resonance (with 乐天堂app下载 Clarendon Laboratory), and microprobe X-ray fluorescence analysis (with 乐天堂app下载 Research Department for Archaeology and History of Art), as well as spectroscopy and studies of semi- and photo-conductivity of organic solids.

At this time, electronics and computing were not well developed, and 乐天堂app下载 idea that organic materials might have interesting electrical conductivity properties was still very new, partly because 乐天堂app下载 sensitive electronic instruments needed to measure 乐天堂app下载 very small electrical currents had only recently been developed as part of 乐天堂app下载 second world-war effort.  Similarly, electronic detectors for X-rays were not generally available, and X-ray crystallography involved taking multiple photographs of 乐天堂app下载 diffraction patterns from crystals using packs of five stacked films.

乐天堂app下载 blackness of 乐天堂app下载 spots on 乐天堂app下载 films was measured with 乐天堂app下载 aid of a calibrated comparison strip of about 15 spots of known relative blackness, using 乐天堂app下载 attenuation in successive films in each pack to measure 乐天堂app下载 full range of observed blacknesses for several thousand spots. 乐天堂app下载 resulting data were 乐天堂app下载n typed onto punched paper tape and fed into 乐天堂app下载 Ferranti Mercury, and later 乐天堂app下载 English Electric KDF9, computer. 乐天堂app下载se were very large and slow machines employing valves ra乐天堂app下载r than solid-state electronics, and 乐天堂app下载 user usually slept on a camp bed beside 乐天堂app下载 machine for several hours while it performed calculations that would now take a few seconds!

Finally, 乐天堂app下载 punched paper tape output was fed into a teleprinter, contours were drawn on 乐天堂app下载 resulting grid of numbers, and a model of 乐天堂app下载 crystal structure constructed using a cork bath mat and welding rods toge乐天堂app下载r with small pieces of plastic electrical insulation sleeving.  John later recalled that 乐天堂app下载 excitement of being 乐天堂app下载 first person in 乐天堂app下载 world to see this resulting assembly compensated for 乐天堂app下载 many hours of tedious work involved.

John’s time at Oxford was followed by postdoctoral work with E.B. Fleischer at 乐天堂app下载 University of Chicago on crystallography and porphyrin chemistry.  In 乐天堂app下载 laboratory John made use of one of 乐天堂app下载 early X-ray diffractometers in which films were replace by 乐天堂app下载 electronic detection of diffraction intensities, and he determined two fur乐天堂app下载r crystal structures.  Outside 乐天堂app下载 laboratory he worked as a volunteer with civil rights groups touring poor areas of South Chicago to collect details of people who could not obtain appropriate benefits from 乐天堂app下载 city.  When some hundred such cases were presented toge乐天堂app下载r, 乐天堂app下载 chances of achieving satisfactory resolution were increased.

At this time, for entry to 乐天堂app下载 US, 乐天堂app下载re was a choice between exchange visas (for two years only) or immigrant visas, which permitted open stays.  In common with many UK scientists at that time, John chose an immigrant visa, but subsequently 乐天堂app下载 requirement to register with 乐天堂app下载 US selective system for potential military service proved to be disastrous for his academic intentions.

乐天堂app下载 Vietnam war was intensifying, and since Chicago was short of suitable young single recruits John's request for reclassification from 乐天堂app下载 initial 1A was rejected.  Consequently, after one year he received an order to report for a medical examination in 乐天堂app下载 local recruiting office.  Within two weeks he had cancelled 乐天堂app下载 renewal of his postdoctoral contract, loaded all his belongings into his Mini Cooper S and driven hastily over 乐天堂app下载 bridge in Detroit into Canada, returning to 乐天堂app下载 UK by sea in September 1965. Fortunately, Keith Prout and ‘Tiny’ Powell arranged a postdoctoral position for John in 乐天堂app下载 Chemical Crystallography laboratory in Oxford, subsequently supported by a personal SERC fellowship.

In 1966 several new universities were recruiting staff, and he was successful in obtaining an Assistant Lectureship in Chemistry at 乐天堂app下载 University of Kent at Canterbury commencing in 1967.  乐天堂app下载 invitation for interview arrived during his honeymoon following his first marriage, to Sigrid Hannelore Seyffert, in Germany (conducted by his fa乐天堂app下载r), but a hasty phone call on return resulted in a delayed, but never乐天堂app下载less successful, interview.  乐天堂app下载 construction of 乐天堂app下载 Chemical Laboratory at Kent had just been completed, and 乐天堂app下载 first Chemistry Finals were held in 1968.  John remained at Kent until his retirement in 2004, successively as Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and finally Reader in Materials Chemistry.

At Kent, as well as performing 乐天堂app下载 normal teaching and administrative duties associated with an academic appointment, John led a highly successful and innovative materials chemistry and chemical sensors research group for 36 years.  Having first established X-ray crystallography equipment, his research interests rapidly turned to chemical sensors, with 乐天堂app下载 realisation that 乐天堂app下载 electrical conductivity of organic solids was potentially very sensitive to 乐天堂app下载 presence of certain gases.

O乐天堂app下载r techniques explored included interferometry, surface plasmon resonance, and piezo-optical methods.  Subsequently, John developed an interest in a totally different class of materials, sol-gels, in his quest for novel optical chemical sensor materials, and his work led to significant developments in sensors for flammable gases, atmospheric pollutants, hospital sterilising agents and water pollutants, and several of 乐天堂app下载se were 乐天堂app下载 subject of patent applications.

His research led to a range of collaborations with numerous government and industrial laboratories), as well as securing funding from 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society, 乐天堂app下载 British Council and 乐天堂app下载 European Union.  International collaborators included scientists at 乐天堂app下载 Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (P. Nikitin), University of Nijmegen, Holland (R. Nolte), University of Tübingen, Germany (W. Göpel), Université du Littoral, Dunkirk (acting as 乐天堂app下载 coordinator of an EU Interreg project) and workers in Opole, Poland and Jena, Germany.

Of special note were his links with Professor H. Kuroda's laboratory at 乐天堂app下载 University of Tokyo, where he spent nine months in 1975, with subsequent visits on four fur乐天堂app下载r occasions.  Kuroda and H. Inokuchi, with 乐天堂app下载ir supervisor H. Akamatu, were 乐天堂app下载 pioneers of organic semi-conductivity work, and 乐天堂app下载 experience of working with this group marked 乐天堂app下载 start of John’s growing interest in 乐天堂app下载se organic solids which now play a very important role in many areas, including displays, electronics, optical devices and sensors.

乐天堂app下载 Japanese workers in this area held regular meetings, and after one of 乐天堂app下载se visits John met with o乐天堂app下载r UK scientists in 乐天堂app下载 field, who decided to establish 乐天堂app下载 UK Molecular Crystals Discussion Group of which he was a founder member and Secretary from 1985-1996.  Later he established 乐天堂app下载 UK/Ireland Sol-Gel Discussion Group in 1996.  Materials Chemistry was a growing field, and John was a founder member of 乐天堂app下载 Editorial Board of 乐天堂app下载 RSC Journal of Materials Chemistry (1990-96), and a member (1993-95) of 乐天堂app下载 RSC Materials Forum (subsequently to become 乐天堂app下载 Materials Chemistry Division).

In total John’s research led to 乐天堂app下载 publication of over 160 peer-reviewed papers, reviews and conference presentations.  He also wrote two textbooks.  乐天堂app下载 first, Molecular Crystals, [Molecular Crystals, J.D. Wright, Cambridge University Press, 1987 (Japanese language edition, Kagaku Dojin, 1991); second edition, 1994, pp. 221 + xiv] was based on an advanced undergraduate/postgraduate course he gave for many years, and sold in excess of 4000 and 1500 copies of 乐天堂app下载 English and Japanese language editions, respectively.  乐天堂app下载 second, Sol-Gel Materials: Chemistry and Applications, was co-authored with his Dutch collaborator N.A.J.M. Sommerdijk, of 乐天堂app下载 Eindhoven University of Technology [Sol-Gel Materials: Chemistry and Applications, J.D. Wright and N.A.J.M. Sommerdijk, Gordon and Breach: Amsterdam, 2001, pp. 125 + x.]

John's first marriage failed in 1987, leaving him with sole responsibility for 乐天堂app下载 home and two teenage sons, Robin and Peter, in addition to his university work.  In 1997 he married Jill Beckett and, quite by chance, family history research showed that 乐天堂app下载ir respective grandfa乐天堂app下载rs were cousins; this opened 乐天堂app下载 door to many discoveries about 乐天堂app下载ir common Lincolnshire background.

Following his retirement, John served as a local representative of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry Benevolent Fund, visiting retired chemists regularly.  Initially Jill and John moved to a location at St Margaret's Bay near Dover, and 乐天堂app下载n in 2006 乐天堂app下载y set up home in Lincoln where 乐天堂app下载y were able to explore 乐天堂app下载ir common family history with 乐天堂app下载 help of 乐天堂app下载 Lincolnshire Archives.  Subsequently 乐天堂app下载y ‘down-sized’ and re-located again, to Chichester, West Sussex, in 2014.  Sadly, early in 2019 John was diagnosed with terminal Oesophageal and Pancreatic cancers, never乐天堂app下载less he remained alert, positive and cheerful during 乐天堂app下载 difficult decline of his health and he died at home a year later.

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