I had the distinct honour last fall of helping Cynthia Callard, along with a few other folks in Ottawa, organize a surprise party for Neil. I believe he thought he was going to Cynthia’s for a visit, but arrived to see a couple of dozen of his colleagues from Tobacco Control in Ottawa and Toronto, and written tributes from people around the world. We organized the tributes into a scrapbook for Neil and, as they were sent directly to me, I was the first to see how loved he was – from every corner of the world. People could not say enough wonderful things about Neil and the work he did throughout his career in tobacco control. Many of the messages brought a tear to my eye and, dare I say, to Neil’s. It isn’t often one saw Neil at a loss for words, but he was truly overwhelmed that night. I am so pleased that we were able to honour Neil then, when his health allowed him to enjoy the evening. We lost an utter giant in tobacco control today, but the world is literally a better and healthier place for his having been on the planet.

My heart goes out to Barbara and the family in their loss.

Janice