Robin Basker OBE, Emeritus Professor of Dental Prosthetics and former Dean of University of Leeds School of Dentistry died in November 2017 aged 80 after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease.

After graduating from the University of London in 1961, where he was an active member of the shooting club, Robin married Jacquie Bowles to whom he was happily married for 56 years. They had two daughters, Sally and Kate, and two granddaughters, Robyn and Laura.

Following a period in practice, in 1963 he became a lecturer in dental prosthetics at Birmingham University where he gained his DDS. In 1978, Robin was appointed to the newly established Chair in Dental Prosthetics in Leeds, where he radically updated the undergraduate prosthetic curriculum focusing on clinical relevance. He published many clinical papers, including a series in the BDJ, often on the problems of gerodontology. In conjunction with John Davenport and others he produced particularly successful books on denture design.

Professor Basker became Dean of the School of Dentistry in 1985, and contributed to the running of Leeds University by serving on the Senate and many other internal committees.

He also represented the University on the GDC for almost 15 years and during this long tenure he was Chairman of the Education Committee. It was a period of significant change to the delivery of primary dental care, expanding the role of the dental nurse. Additionally, he was active in the British Standards Institution, and was an international expert on dental materials at conferences around the world.

Robin was awarded the BDA's John Tomes Medal for outstanding services in 2000, and was President of the BDA's Yorkshire Branch. On retirement from the University in 2000, he was awarded the OBE. Shortly after this he was elected Chairman of the Lindsay Society for the History of Dentistry.

He and Jacquie enjoyed a shared love of music and were participants in Harrogate Choral Society's productions. They were keen gardeners, and they were also humorous and generous hosts to their friends and colleagues.

It seems poignant that there is a sad post-script to this obituary, as within a month of the passing of Robin, Jacquie also died of pancreatic cancer which she largely overlooked during Robin's illness. Having lost both parents near Christmas we extend our sympathies to the Basker family.