Lynn Morrison
It was with great pleasure that I accepted the invitation to write this editorial on Neil Bell on the occasion of his retiring from the position of editor of the Cleanroom Monitor.
Neil was a founder member of the Society, working initially on the organisation of courses and conferences. He became the second Chairman of the Society - a position he held until 1992 when he took over the editorship of the newsletter.
Due to Neil's hard work and dedication the newsletter has grown steadily in size, has received a major facelift and acquired an identity in the name 'Cleanroom Monitor."
Neil is a pharmacist with what he calls strong " microbiological leanings". He obtained a BSc(Hons) in Pharmacy from the University of Glasgow in 1949 and later went on to become a valued member of the teaching staff of Strathclyde University Pharmacy department until 1985 when he took early retirement.
However Neil was not allowed to "put his feet up" just yet being head hunted for the post of Microbiology Services Manager at Organon Laboratories Ltd, Newhouse from which he retired (for a second time) in 1992.
Neil, however, has always maintained that it was in teaching that his heart lay. His activities in this area have been numerous and varied having taught subjects from dispensing to pharmacognosy to pharmaceutical microbiology.
He played a major part in establishing, at Strathclyde University in l983, the first academic pharmacy cleanroom in the United Kingdom to comply with constructual, particulate and microbial standards. Whilst at Strathclyde, Neil undertook research studies for which he was awarded a Ph.D.
Neil is a member of the ISO TC 209 Working group 4 looking at standardising terminology used within the world of cleanrooms and also an active member of the BS Cleanroom Technology group.
On behalf of the Executive Committee of the Society, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Neil for his tremendous efforts and untiring enthusiasm over the last 10 years.
It has been a great pleasure to work with Neil and I would like to wish all the very best for the future in what, in essence, will be his third attempt at retiring.
