Finn Troldtoft Pedersen, who went to high school and university with Brian Bech Nielsen, as well as living in the same hall of residence:

“Brian was a really hard-working and conscientious student; and even back in high school, when we were in the same class, it was obvious that he had a very special talent for science as well as being hugely interested in history and languages. When we graduated from Holstebro High School, he even won a prize for hard work – in French!”

But even though young Brian worked hard, he also knew how to party:

“We lived in the same hall of residence and had plenty of fantastic parties. There were a lot of special theme parties back then, and the punk party at which Brian met his future wife Ulla was particularly memorable. Brian took the idea of dressing up for that particular party very seriously, and turned up in an outfit which made him look totally different. But luckily Ulla still liked him after he removed all the makeup. There are still some photos of that party, but I’m afraid they’re not suitable for public perusal!”

He might have grown older, but he still likes parties. In fact there’s something of a King of Rock ‘n’ Roll hidden away inside Brian Bech Nielsen:

“Brian loves it when they play golden oldie rock music. He still gets out onto the dance floor and is happy to dance with any woman in his vicinity. He loves music, and can still play the guitar while hopping around with bent knees inspired by Chuck Berry’s legendary ‘duck walk’.”

He’s interested in history, too:

“Anyone who visits Brian for long enough will be asked to take part in one of his quizzes or party games. Historical topics are always included, and some of us with no more than a standard knowledge of history sometimes find it pretty difficult to make a good impression.”

“Four of us who lived in the same hall of residence still meet regularly, and Brian always tries hard to give these meetings some kind of historical dimension. It might be in the form of an excursion, with Brian planning a route taking us round to various historical monuments. And he always has an interesting story to entertain us with whenever we stop.”

Niels Drud Møllebjerg, who studied at university with Brian Bech Nielsen and lived in the same hall of residence

“Brian was hard-working and conscientious. He got up early and started studying at 8 am – and he simply kept going until he had finished. But he was also able to relax and join in the social life at our hall. He played the guitar and liked to play backgammon and join in discussions. And he also liked to party. The two of us were often the last people to call it a night. Things were always lively when you were around Brian – he wasn’t the kind of person who just sat in the corner and waited for life to happen.”

On Brian the student chef:

“His culinary repertoire was limited, but some of his stews were really quite OK.”

And then there’s the mysterious mark on the floor of the cafeteria in the Physics Department:

“It might still be there. It dates back to the day when he graduated with top marks. I forced Ulla to spray him with a bottle of champagne.”