James Francis Sullivan

James Francis Sullivan was born in Jarrow on 11 December 1931; he was one of four children but the only son. He attended St. Cuthbert's RC Grammar School, Newcastle, and Durham University graduating with a BDS in 1955. After university, James did his national service in the Royal Army Dental Corps, spending most of his time in Germany where he soon became fluent in the German language; so much did he enjoy his time in the army that he stayed on for an extra year. On leaving the army, after a couple of locums, he joined the late Frank Wood's practice in Bournemouth where he stayed for nine years. He then established his own practice locally where he worked successfully for ten years. He sold the practice in 1978 and joined the Community Dental Service in East Dorset and with typical enthusiasm soon obtained a DDPH from the Royal College of Surgeons (England). Shortly afterwards, he was appointed a senior dental officer and became responsible for the BASCD co-ordinated epidemiological surveys of dental caries.

James was an active member of the BDA being Chairman of the Bournemouth Section and twice Secretary of the Wessex Branch; he was also a member of Representative Board and CCCDS and an accredited local representative. He was also a regular attender at BASCD meetings. Outside dentistry, James was an avid taker of Open University courses and obtained two degrees in mathematics, computing and other scientific disciplines. His other interests were wide-ranging and included classical music, especially opera, linguistics, and photography. He was a fanatical reader, the rooms of his house resembling a small library; the house also contains many technical gadgets that James made in his spare time. Somehow he also found time to be a school governor. About the only thing that he never succeeded in was obtaining a full driving licence!

James was passionate about France and after his retirement in 1992, he and his wife Margaret bought a holiday cottage in the Herault valley in Languedoc. The centre of his life was, however, his family. In 1960 James met Margaret (now a local retired deputy-headteacher) and they were married on 5 August 1961. They had three sons, who became, a software analyst, a journalist and a surgeon, and a daughter, who is a chartered accountant. With his usual courage James managed to attend his youngest son's wedding shortly before his death, the last of the children to marry.

James was a loyal friend and respected colleague; he died on 5 December 2000 after a long illness and is survived by Margaret, their children and three granddaughters to whom we give our deepest sympathies.

H. D. L.

Arthur Edwin Parrott

Arthur Edwin (Ted) Parrott aged 86 years, was born on the Isle of Wight, the son of a dentist, who rose to become one of the brightest, wittiest and most popular member of the BDA Western Counties Beanch in 1960s and 70s, where he served as President and Chairman.

He qualified from Guy's in 1936 and soon joined Sir William Kelsey Fry's practice in London, when he married Cecily.

He and his wife yearned for the West Country and settled in Taunton, Somerset when war was imminent.

He quickly set up a busy practice and soon became Honorary Dental Surgeon to the local District General Hospital, a post he held for some 20 years. He was responsible for the update of the Western Counties Branch history of the BDA in 1980.

Ted won a travelling scholarship, sponsored by Gibbs Dentifrice, in the late 1950s and spent some two months visiting hospitals and practices in the USA. He subsequently wrote a paper on general dental health in USA.

Shortly before retirement he acquired leave to visit the vaults of the British Museum to research the life of the bon-viveur vicar who lived in Coomb-Florey, Somerset and who later became Dean of St Paul's Cathedral. The paper he read to colleagues later was highly entertaining and laced with facts and wit, as was Ted's style. His eloquence in the spoken word was always matched with the same eloquence in the written word. In fact, his BA degree from Open University was taken in studies of Shakespearean Drama.

Ted was a respected elder with the Society of Friends (Quakers) for whom he had acted in solemn proceedings of marriage for many years. He loved the theatre, good books and fine wines. His knowledge of food and appetite was legendary as a 'not so young' man.

Shortly after he died, Ted's wife Cecily, also died some five weeks later.

D. M.