Editors’ Note

The unexpected death of Richard Baker at Easter of this year was a shock for all who knew him. It was just in the last Issue of the Journal (Volume 22, No. 4, January 2007) that we as Editors were pleased and proud to print the laudation by Thomas A. Perfetti of Richard Baker who received the 2006 Tobacco Science Research Conference Lifetime Achievement Award. In this Issue, we have the sad duty to print an obituary for Richard Baker. We have asked Ray Thornton, a former Scientific and Regulatory Manager at BAT to write the obituary, because Ray was a colleague, neighbour and friend of Richard Baker.

BeiträgezurTabakforschung International/Contributions to Tobacco Research has lost one of its most dedicated and productive Advisory Board Member. Richard Baker was member of the Advisory Board since 1994. He has thoroughly reviewed numerous manuscripts submitted to the Journal. He also convinced many authors of tobacco- or smoke- related papers from inside and outside the Tobacco Industry to submit their manuscripts to the Journal. The Advisory Board Members of the Journal will remember his well-founded and also humorous contributions at the yearly or biennial meetings.

We, as Editors, want to state: Richard Baker has rendered outstanding services to the Journal, we shall miss him very much.