Lucky are we who live in peaceful times and can normally expect a fulfilling career to be followed by a period of leisure activities or pardoned inactivity, a.k.a. retirement. In this issue, we meet three familiar faces not in their familiar context of the board room but at the billiard table, and get to hear what they remember and miss about their 'school days' at CUHK and their next plans, lots of plans.

Earl Haig (1861–1928) gave a different meaning to retirement in his order to the British troops in France during the First World War:

Every position must be held to the last man: there must be no retirement. With our backs to the wall, and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight to the end.

There has never been a greater advocate of our cause. His care for CUHK knows no retirement. Sir Q.W. Lee (1918–2013), who needs no introduction, passed away on 10 August. The entire University mourns and pays tribute to this long-time mentor, benefactor and friend.

In the other pages, readers will see an early letter signed by the founding Vice-Chancellor Dr. Choh-ming Li, read about the road to a musical career travelled by another school leaver, Miss Jamie Wong, and the arrival of a new brand of coffee on campus.