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I remember when i first came to university I had no idea about filmmaking, really
and we had so many different lecturers, so many different people, but it was
Ray's lectures that always stood out. It's Ray
and his little mannerisms, and the way he'd sing sometimes in the lecture and the way
that after the lecture you could always go and knock on his door and ask him a few questions.
And it still kind of applies today.
A couple of months ago I was filming at 10 Downing Street, down there
to interview Samantha Cameron.
And testing my equipment; the radio mike had broken.
I'd got to get a train in a few hours, so who else to call but Ray Johnson and say,
"Ray, the radio mike's broken, can you help me out?"
He was there at the station, ready for me literally
to just grab it and go.
I've known Ray now for 17-odd years
and worked with him both inside and outside the University.
I think the sentiments I have, and what I realise how
Ray's contributed really, are sentiments shared by not only present
and former colleagues, but by present and former students as well,
and Rays knows as one student put it earlier
he's a true legend of Staffordshire University.
Really, what stands out with Ray is always how
he's so busy. Whenever
we call a favour in, or he needs something, it's alway like,
"Right, I can time it by 'I'm on my way back from here' and 'on the way there'
and I'll drop in and drop it off, or you can pick it up then..."
He's just always got so much on
and he's never too busy.