Tribute to John Langford Stacey

We were sorry to learn of the death of our former colleague John Langford Stacey. John was one of the four area pharmaceutical officers (APhO) appointed in the Oxford region in 1974, having previously been chief pharmacist at High Wycombe General Hospital. He was the APhO for Buckinghamshire based at Peverel Court, a Victorian mansion near Aylesbury, where his office was the epitome of elegance and style.

Following the abolition of area health authorities in 1982, John became district pharmaceutical officer for Aylesbury Vale and, after further NHS reorganisation in 1991, moved to manage the pharmacy manufacturing unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, a facility that he had been responsible for commissioning earlier in his career, and of which he was justifiably proud.

John was a courteous and generous gentleman, well respected by his peers and staff, and always immaculately dressed. He had a great interest in plants and gardens, and was a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London. He and his wife Mary took great pleasure in touring the UK in their campervan, although John never gave you the impression that he was the “outdoor” type. They retired to Dorset and, although our paths have not crossed for some years, we have fond memories of a valued colleague and friend.