I met Dave when he gave a lecture on blood groups to the evening class I attended as part of my training in Veterinary haematology. His relaxed but accurate communication style, obvious intelligence & sense of humour convinced me that here was a guy that I wanted to work with. I qualified, then applied to the National Blood Transfusion Service in Bristol for a lab technician post. Refusing offers of promotion in other labs, eventually the offer I wanted – to work in the research lab of Dr David Anstee – was made. Dave was very generous & steered me through the tricky process of MPhil. & then PhD. researching the use of monoclonal antibodies to characterise red blood cell membranes. Dave was very fond of the quotation “To solve difficult scientific problems – many bring rakes but few bring shovels”. It’s possible that in our time of funding shortages & caution regarding ethical issues; one lifetime of scientific investigation (however brilliant) might not be sufficient to adequately address some human problems, so Dave has passed the baton to the next generation of researchers that he encouraged & nurtured. Rest in peace now, old friend. Jas & Steve Parsons