In memory of Dr. Lavinel G. Ionescu

Abstract

After almost 20 years working with scientific publications, this is the first time I am not sure how to proceed. However, I will try to do an excellent special Issue about Professor Lavinel. If you are wondering why this edition is late, the answer is simple. It is because I am stubborn, and I learned from the best about how to be stubborn. Also, it is not so fun to work in Professor’s Lavinel Journal without him. In fact, it is very hard. I start to work with Professor Lavinel around 2002 or 2003, I was a student of his in the classes of wave-mechanics or quantum chemistry, as he used to say. Until that time, the graduation course in Chemistry was not so interesting to me, but the classes were so impressive that when I was approved, I made to Professor Lavinel the most awkward request “next semester can I retake this course?”. I remember the expression in his face, and he said: “you were approved, why to retake this class?”. My answer was not the best, but in the end, he allowed me to see the classes again. So during the next semester, there was I, in every class paying attention. The support of my friends and family was exceptional. The phrases “are you crazy?” and “this is a hard class why are you taking it twice?”. But as Goldani used to say “your criticism only makes me stronger.”. In the end, there was I learning how to make new things. At that time it used to make sense to me, and chemistry becomes much more straightforward.