We write with the very sad news that Ray Freeman died, aged 90, on 1st May.
Ray completed his DPhil at Oxford with Rex Richards in 1957. After postdoctoral
work with Anatole Abragam at Saclay and at the National Physical Laboratory, he
moved to the research department at Varian Associates in Palo Alto, then at the
cutting edge of developments in NMR. He was to retain strong links with Varian
until its takeover by Agilent and subsequent closure. In 1973 he took up his
first academic post, at the University of Oxford, where he rose to be the
Aldrichian Praelector before moving to Cambridge. Ray was the Plummer Professor
at the University of Cambridge from 1987 until his retirement in 1999, but
remained active in collaborative research long after that date, continuing to
publish into his 80s.
He played a major part in the blossoming of NMR techniques and their chemical
applications that followed the introduction of Fourier transform methods in
1972. His group in Oxford pioneered many new methods in 2D NMR, selective
excitation and broadband decoupling, pulse sequence elements that are now
part of every NMR spectroscopist's toolkit and that are in daily use in every
NMR laboratory. Ray was a superb communicator, and was often the star turn at
NMR conferences - his presentations were characteristically littered with wry
jokes and self-deprecating remarks, and illustrated by beautiful hand-drawn
slides and cartoons. He was a wonderful mentor to his students, who remember
with great fondness his warmth, humour and creativity. Many members of his
group have gone on to achieve significant success in their own right, and all
acknowledge Ray as a significant influence on their careers.
Ray was a gentleman scientist, somewhat of the old school, and a devoted family
man. He will be greatly missed, but warmly remembered by all who had the privilege
of working with him.
Gareth Morris (Manchester)
James Keeler (Cambridge)
Received on Tue May 03 2022 - 20:05:57 MST