Dennis helped me get my PhD! Yes, he did. Around 1987 (yep, well before the internet...) I put an ad' in a 'Biologist' magazine, seeking donations of microbiology supplies I could use during my upcoming PhD studies. I was about to leave Britain for Poland, where my new host's lab lacked a lot of basic tests, disposables, and growth media, so I thought I'd see what I could find before I left. Dennis responded to the ad', writing that he'd send me some things, and he got someone in another company to contribute, too. Box after box soon arrived at my parents' house, and my car became jammed to the rafters (!) with Petri dishes and growth media for bacteria, and loads of other lab supplies. My colleague in Poland was ecstatic, and we were able to do so much more than if Dennis hadn't helped out. With data from experiments using those supplies we published a scientific paper in 1993, and in that we thanked Dennis and others for their help. I got my PhD, then found a job in Hawaii, and met Dennis and his family when they holidayed there a couple of years after I arrived. We'd stayed in touch, and continued to stay in touch for well over 30 years. Things would have been quite different if Dennis hadn't taken the time and energy to help out someone he didn't know: as the saying goes, "One person's act of kindness can change the course of your life." Thank you, Dennis.

Cheers, Stuart