Alan Howell

Richard, it would be so easy to paraphrase Churchill, (never in the field of museum documentation…) though it would in fact be only partially appropriate as the “few” in this case would just be one person. I cannot be the only one in the profession who had their career shaped by those MDA conferences and the documentation system which eventually spawned MODES. I never lost faith in your quietly confident reasoning that this was a valid and sensible way to go. In my retirement I’m still using MODES as a volunteer in my local (Guernsey) museum, so I wonder if you will be able to sever all links as you retire! Seriously, your contribution has been immense and I’m sure I won’t be the only one to thank you for it. I always enjoyed our occasional contact at meetings over the years and would love to have been able to travel to your actual ‘do’ but as this is sadly impossible I can only send this note of thanks and my very best wishes for a long and happy retirement.

Alan