EFI Members Directory - The European Federation for Immunogenetics Members Directory

Julia Gwynaeth Bodmer

1934-2001

Julia Bodmer was a key figure in the HLA world. Among her many achievements Julia greatly contributed to the successes of the International Histocompatibility Workshops and of the WHO nomenclature committee. She welcomed many young scientists in her laboratories both at ICRF in London and in Oxford. To EFI Julia gave a lot of energy and wisdom, first as Secretary from 1991 to 1994, than as President- elect and subsequently as President from 1996-1998. At the 14th EFI Conference in Montpellier in April 2000 Julia presented the Ceppellini lecture. Julia died on 29 January. Here are tributes from some of her many friends and colleagues.

At the 5th Histocompatibility Conference in Aarhus I took part in a working group co-ordinated by Julia. I was impressed by her extraordinary ability to handle a great deal of data (not always of the best quality!), to make a detailed analysis and to write a fully exhaustive report.

The leader of the Torino group, Ruggero Ceppellini, underwent in the seventies a long depressive syndrome. After some years he wanted to resume his research activity, and decided to spend some time in the Bodmer's laboratory, with Julia. He came back after that stage very grateful to Julia, who had helped him with patience, friendship and efficiency to recover from his illness. Ruggero often mentioned that time as one of the most gratifying in his late years. Julia was a great person and she was a true European as well.

Sergio Curtoni, Torino

JULIA

A friendship of nearly 40 years
4a, 4b - a thesis - LA1, LA2
The workshops, the birth of EFI
HLA - international, accreditation
The intimate and friendly HLA taskforce
With its pioneers exploring new frontiers
So much to remember
So much to be grateful for
Thank you JULIA!!

Jon van Rood, Leiden

We will always remember with gratitude the many good hours in the company of Julia Bodmer during HLA Histocompatibility Workshops, Nomenclature Meetings, and EFI Meetings, and the excellent collaboration concerning HLA and disease associations. We will miss her enthusiasm, sharpness of mind, diplomacy, eloquence, humour, and kindness. It is a great privilege to have known Julia.

Arne Svejgaard & Bodil K. Jakobsen, Copenhagen.

I am very sad to realise that Julia has left us and we all have now to understand that she will be with us in our recollection of the many great hours that we shared. My personal recollection of Julia is, that she has on so many occasions during Workshops, EFI Conferences, in the WHO Nomenclature Committee taken on important tasks which required a great deal of painstaking work which she has taken on as a service for the HLA community such as testing all the monoclonals in a workshop or arranging for a gigantic population study or preparing the reports of the WHO Nomenclature Committee for Factors of the HLA System.

My admiration is for her many other scientific contributions in the field of HLA, my heartfelt thanks are for all the many services that she has paid for the HLA community and my admiration is for her finding the peace formula when the Nomenclature Committee threatened to fall apart in disagreement.

Ekkehard Albert, Munich

Julia was a prominent member of the organising committee of the 12th IHW and Conference that I had the privilege to chair from 1991 to 1996. For all of us it was an overwhelming and sometimes crazy experience. At some point we met every month. I recall how professional, dedicated precise and pragmatic Julia was during all this time. She indeed was a driving force, never discouraged when difficulties and problems (there were many) arose. The Database was her obsession and my nightmare and none of us contradicted Julia when, out of argument, she would just say " the problem will be solved by Steve when I get home". She was indeed right.

I would like to keep the image and sense of harmony between the professional life and social and personal life that Julia illustrated so beautifully.

Dominique Charron, Paris

At the beginning of my professional activity, I only saw Julia at a distance at congresses and thought she was unapproachable. Later I came to know her more intimately in the course of EFI board meetings, where I appreciated her unfailing and friendly collaboration. We all know the irreplaceable role Julia has played in histocompatibility and the history of EFI. First as Secretary, then as President of EFI, she displayed unremitting determination to set up this European structure in which she believed. However, I wish to go beyond these considerations to give my impressions of this exceptional woman.

She was dynamic and did not spare herself.
She was intelligent and did not require long explanations.
She was interested in her work and saw it to completion.
She fostered human relationships well beyond national boundaries.
She practised brotherhood and friendship, excusing errors and helping others to resolve problems.
In short, she was an extraordinary person, one of the greatest in our field.
Julia, we could never forget you.

Marie-Marthe Tongio, Strasbourg

I have known Julia since my very first days in the HLA field, i.e.since1967, and have always admired her accurateness in her scientific work, and her kindness as a friend.

Erik Thorsby, Oslo

I recall how at the Oxford Workshop Julia had in her own clear method noted some of the DR/DQ relationships, set it to music, and, perhaps the most daunting task of all, persuaded a group of us UK1s to sing it in concert. Some lady. We shall miss her

Keith Gelsthorpe, Sheffield

Chère Julia,

Votre souvenir restera dans nos cours et vos travaux sont dans nos bibliothèques.

J'ai aimé travailler avec vous, grande dame à la force tranquille et souriante, infatigable à la tâche et toujours soucieuse du respect de la parole donnée et de la dignité.

Merci pour votre contribution personnelle, considérable et originale, pour HLA.

L'EFI, toute entière, a perdu une grande présidente.

Jacques Hors, Paris

Julia had a refreshing Mancunian sense of humour and bluntness. Parties at her flat were always a great pleasure. Julia orchestrated these with a calm efficiency. She would be dressed elegantly but the atmosphere was relaxed and dignitaries, family and friends all mixed together. Julia was so supportive of everyone. Her cool efficiency we took for granted but in fact it was part of her nature both in the lab as well as when entertaining, to support.

John Trowsdale, Cambridge

After working several years in a pleasant and constructive way with Julia on the Board, I had the privilege and honour to succeed her as president of EFI. Her contributions to EFI and the field of immunogenetics worldwide are countless. Last year the Board unanimously voted for Julia as the outstanding scientist to give the Ceppellini lecture, which, afterwards, appeared to be an impressive fare well talk. Julia, thank you for everything and we will miss you.

Frans Claas, Leiden

I had the good fortune to perform my PhD under the direction of Julia between the years 1985-1989. Over the years I have known Julia, I have developed a deep sense of gratitude to her, not only because she taught me a lot about scientific research, but because she showed me a unique way of seeing life, of enjoying it to the full and of working hard, but still appreciating everything around me. I was fortunate to see her just a couple of days before she passed away, even then, she possessed that sharp sense of humour that always characterised her. Now that she has gone, there are so many things I would like to tell her, but I do believe that time will come again.

Alejandro Madrigal, London

I have spent six months in Julia's laboratory in London and it was an extraordinary experience. Besides her well known professionalism, I had the opportunity to appreciate the warmth of her hospitality. I like to recollect Julia in her apartment at the top of ICRF when Walter was playing piano and we were just having a friendly talk or in an Italian restaurant enjoying the best "coppa al mascarpone" I have ever eaten. HLA and non-HLA thoughts overlaps.

I will miss her sadly.

Cristina Mazzilli, Rome

The spirit of Julia Bodmer will be with us during the Granada EFI meeting and for the years to come. She contributed to create and develop the HLA field, to create and develop EFI and to extend the immunogenetic research all over the world. We all learned from her how to maintain the passion for science and the passion for life.

Federico Garrido, Granada

I worked for Julia for over eleven years, and continued in close collaboration in the years after leaving her laboratory. Julia was an inspiration to myself and many others in the lab; her knowledge of HLA was encyclopaedic and her enthusiasm infectious. She always gave great support and encouragement to her staff. I am indebted to her for the opportunities that she opened up for me and for her friendship. Julia was an excellent communicator, not only of science but also in the way she shared her experience of life with the members of her laboratory. She is sadly missed.

Steven Marsh, London

Her strength, her humour, her infectious enthusiasm, her dedication to science, a great example, impossible to equal

Ieke Schreuder, Leiden