Frank Ventura, as I know him... and some of his works

Abstract

I have known Frank Ventura since we first worked together in 1975, both teaching Advanced level Chemistry at the Upper Secondary School in Valletta (Evans Building). My liking and respect for the soft-spoken teacher were immediate; his evident passion for his work was infective. Frank moved to the University from the sixth form before I did in 1987 and we had occasion to work together again, this time him at the Faculty of Education and me, after a short stint in Pharmacy, in the Department of Chemistry at the Faculty of Science. When MATSEC Examinations were set up in 1991, we both got involved for many years with Chemistry school syllabi and examinations, especially the Advanced Matriculation Chemistry. On several occasions, as we struggled with the construction and testing of new items for the practical examination, we would experience in the laboratory prep room moments of joy alternating with depths of despair when experiments designed to produce specific results simply failed to perform as planned. [excerpt]