It's really REAL!

Brad came home on Wednesday to a surprise waiting for him!  His bound thesis had arrived from England.  

This was the moment that his PhD became "really real" to him! 

Brad ordered a total of 5 copies, three of which stayed in England, one for the MRC, one for the University Cambridge library, one for his Cambridge advisor, and then one for his NIH advisor, and one for our family's library! 

The girls understood this was a very special moment for their Dad and were so excited for him.

Hooray Dr. J.B. Holmes! 

The Cambridge Crest along with the text:

MRC Mitochrondrial Biology Unit

University of Cambridge, UK

The title to Brad's thesis: The Essential Role of RNase H1 in the Generation and Clearance of RNA Primers for Mitochondrial DNA Replication  :-)

John Bradley Holmes

Ph.D. 2010

Brad's Acknowledgements for his thesis:

(I thought he did a fantastic job acknowledging a lot of people.  And it really blessed me what he wrote for the girls and me.)  

These past five years have been filled with rich blessings. First, and foremost, I am thankful to God for the forgiveness for my sins through the Lord Jesus Christ, the gifts He has bestowed upon me to enable me for this work, and His daily grace (and I have need more than my fair share) to find rest in Him.

I am grateful to my NIH advisor, Robert Crouch, who took on a butterfingered graduate student, and has patiently trained me to think and write critically, and has taught me as much about living as he has about science.   I am equally thankful to my Cambridge advisor, Ian Holt, who despite my brash Americanisms and often incoherent ideas, has gently lead me into a deep understanding of mtDNA biology through many lively (and long) discussions (and a few laughs).  I am blessed to not only have them as advisors, mentors, and taskmasters, but also friends.   The many lab-mates in both groups have propelled me on, and I could not have accomplished any of this work without their patient assistance. A special thank you to Yutaka Suzuki, Susan Cerritelli, Takehiro Yasukawa, and Aurelio Reyes and to my collaborators, Andrew Jackson and Howy Jacobs.

I acknowledge the NIH-OxCam GPP Mike Lenardo and organizer extraordinaire, Bridget Lampert, for creating a PhD program that is second-to-none in the world.  My thanks to the NICHD Intramural program for funding my IRTA and provision of laboratory facilities, and to the support staff in building 6B who made so much of my work and travel possible: especially Shante Washington and Marta Vazques. Thanks go to the Medical Research Council for funding the Mitochondrial Biology Unit, and the support staff there, especially Penny Peck.

Many thanks go to Clare Hall and Eden Chapel for all of your support, especially Irene Hills and Marvin Wong. My family and I will always reflect with happy memories upon our many friends and neighbours we met during those special twenty months in Cambridge.

I was very fortunate to be chosen as a Harvey Fellow in 2008.  The financial support was beyond generous and the summer institute was phenomenal. 

Finally, I am extremely grateful to our friends and family who have steadfastly supported and encouraged me throughout the ups and downs during this season of life. 

To my daughters, Jillian, Faith, and Anna: you each bring me tremendous delight and laughter. The happiest memories your Mom and I will ever have were welcoming each of you into the world and becoming your parents.  Our God has incredible plans for your lives and I love you.

I dedicate this thesis to my beautiful wife, Lauren, for her unwavering support, loyalty and love for me. Her contribution to this study, my sanity and joy cannot be overestimated.  Thank you for saying 'Yes'.