From Raymond Mugwanya

When i joined UCT in March 2008, i worked with Dr. Anet Potgeiter who resigned later in the year. Amidst all the confusion and deciding on whether to abandon PhD studies, i met Gary round about October 2008 and told him my story and academic background and that is when my relationship with Gary started. In 2009 just before we got onto the HPI Scholarship, i had financial challenges and Guess who helped me out, Prof. Gary Marsden. He inspired me greatly, had a superb work ethic, had a heart as big as the whole world and believed in me even when i did not think i could pull off the PhD. I left Cape Town for Uganda to do my Final Round of Experiments in November 2011 and knowing how difficult it is to work from home, Gary always e-mailed me to find out what i was up to and that kept me on my toes. Towards November 2012, Gary asked me to Start writing and believe it or not, Gary gave me Thesis feedback within 24hrs which is very unusual and this used to make me brag to my friends about what i great supervisor i had. In many ways, i hang in there with the Ph.D so that i could not disappoint Gary. Through the great encouragement from Gary, i submitted my Ph.D thesis end of May 2013 and graduated on the 16th of December 2013 at UCT. Just before the Graduation ceremony on the 16th December, i went over to Gary's office and we chatted about academic and research plans for the future and he promised that he was coming to visit me in Uganda next year (2014). To be honest, this news has come to me as a great shock and apart of me wants to believe that his passing is a hoax. In fact initially when i received the e-mail, i thought it was one of those April 1st fools day jokes but then realized we were still in December

I have lost a father, a mentor and a friend so brilliant that i was intimidated every time we met for research progress meetings. I will take all these very good qualities with me everywhere i go. I am Glad that you saw me Graduate as this would have haunted me forever.

May the good Lord strengthen Gill, Jake and Holly during these very tough times. I know that Gary is in a very good place