The very first time we spoke, I was struck by the emotion on her face, as she walked into the room that today bears the name of the person who inspired her so much. She described a mix of longing and nostalgia while remembering him. It was December and we were in the David Ferreira Auditorium (Amphitheatre 52), because it was Research Day, a day that GAPIC organises to celebrate scientific research in a Medical School. It had to be his creation if we think about who he was. In 1989 the master crafted one of his best projects, a Scientific Research Support Office.

I registered that emotional look and asked if one day she would tell me who this acclaimed Professor had been. Fresh into Medical School, I was yet to get that feeling of belonging people have for the institution.

A year and a half has passed since that first contact. Days ago I sent her an email: “I promise not to expose you, but GAPIC is turning 30 so please share your insights on Professor David Ferreira, with whom you have worked and spent time.” She immediately accepted and I would soon be introduced to an older gentleman, delicate and eloquent, strict and well-established, concerned about others, but proportionately demanding and intolerant of laziness and “of those who dislike to work and prevent others from a deserving job”, his own words.

Ana Cristina Mota got into the FMUL 23 years ago, she wanted to find a job that she could reconcile with her degree.

At the time, as a Member of the Scientific Council Coordinating Committee, Professor David Ferreira asked for names in order to reinforce his management team. He was looking for a secretary and someone else to support a new project that was bubbling inside his restless and wise spirit. It was the Project for the Morphological Sciences Centre, funded by Gulbenkian. The goal was to gather and show a variety of assets amassed over 40 years with no special organisation. The assets needed a reassessment of its conditions and only later, with more dignity, would be exhibited to the public and students, who in return, would have another study area. The chosen person was Ana, as the Professor always called her.

They called her to say that she was starting her duties on April 1st, she didn’t want to believe it, she even thought it was a lie, typical of that date. She had to see it to believe it and that’s when she realised she was getting into Medical School. She was joined by another collaborator who would handle more administrative work, but there was still mutual support in organizing the Centre and assisting Professor David Ferreira.

When was your first contact with Professor David Ferreira?

Ana Cristina Mota: He welcomed me on the first day because he found it essential that I knew the needs and goals he wanted to achieve. I had to walk into rooms where classes were still taking place and select all the assets that were there. São and Lurdinhas of the Anatomy Institute welcomed me and were of great support. Rather than just welcoming me and talking about the rules, the goals and what he expected from me, the Professor, in all his generosity, immediately offered to help, by sharing what he knew and promoting our growth. He would select the documents, help us identify them for inventory, and monitor their index and physical organisation.

And what did you find in that room?

Ana Cristina Mota: In addition to an antique book collection, real gems that have since been integrated into the Library and Information Area Old Book Collection, there were also other assets, namely, archival documents from various Professors (correspondence, personal notes, registers, etc).

From the diversity of assets that were there, what really disturbed me were the anatomical pieces. I would even lower my head as I walked down the Anatomy stairs. The brain collection… Nerve-racking! Then we had to carry the anatomical parts and that messed with me… There were foetuses, body parts of people who were kept there for research, but it had to be done, of course. Even the picture that is now in the main lobby of the Faculty was located by the Professor, all curled and mouldy. Sure of its value, he ordered the restoration. Anyone seeing that picture today cannot imagine its history. (She laughs and stands still for a while) On one of our research afternoons, it was really hot and as you can imagine… in a closed and dusty space, we always had a mask on our face. We were taking out the books and piling them up, everywhere there were boxes and more boxes to fill. My shoes were hurting my feet, my colleague Vanda had the same complaint. We decided to go barefoot, but we did not expect the Professor to show up at that time. He caught us. He said in earnest, “I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it!” I got really nervous, you have no idea, I apologised and said that I would immediately put them on, and that it wouldn’t happen again. That’s when I realised that the Professor was concerned about our safety, because the floor was old, untreated, there was a risk of getting cut or catching an infection. That moment, like so many others, made an impression on me, because he cared about us. I remember telling him that he had to make some noise, because with those light shoes he scared us, he could sneak up on anyone. He laughed and we sighed with relief.

But I’ve also heard of a David Ferreira’s temper.

Ana Cristina Mota: It’s common knowledge that one cannot please everybody. He was a very humble man, of an integrity that you don’t see nowadays. He praised our work, not in front of us or our team, but among his peers, you can’t imagine how proud that makes you feel. Valuing someone is so important, it’s so encouraging. (She gets emotional) But things got serious when it was time for business. His demands made me learn a lot, he taught me the weight of responsibility, but in the right way.

From what you describe, I get the idea that there was a kind of paternalism, at least with you.

Ana Cristina Mota: There really was. (Laughs) He was a really affectionate person… (She’s not sure what to say). But you had to work! And as I think of him, I remember a phrase that he often said to me and that didn’t even make much sense at the time. He said: “Bad employees make the good ones turn bad, they infect each other”. At the beginning of my professional life I didn’t think he was right, now I see what he meant. Because you give so much and if the person next to you gives less or nothing and has the same perks as you, why put in so much effort? And that’s how a team or a service gets destroyed. But this is sad… It undermines, but it actually never compromised my performance.

How many years did you spend with the Professor? Because I don’t think these life advice conversations were the Professor’s cup of tea.

Ana Cristina Mota: No, not at all. They had to be earned. Look, I don’t know if I have all the years present, we started our hard work between 1996 and 1997. But a bond was quickly formed… there was a spirit of mutual help that you don’t see nowadays. Each had their own area of responsibility, but when help was need in other areas we would go, just as they also helped me whenever I needed. And then the Professor was by our side leading by example. The Morphological Sciences Centre was inaugurated in 1997. In 1999 my son Gonçalo was born. Despite being part of the Rectory team since 1997, the Professor kept managing the Centre. Taking into consideration the growth of the Library and the Professor’s Retirement, we were integrated into the CDI Library at the time managed by Dr. Emilia Clamote. Despite his distance, I still had his support in the selection of documentation, as well as in processing a few books, for the work and research he did, he would not stop. By that time he was already sick (she looks away), he had serious health problems… It was hard to see him like that, I would say to myself, “this is not the Professor I know”. But in spite of everything, he was always working, always available. Let me tell you, there are relatives for whom I didn’t have as much affection as I had for the Professor.

Can you describe Professor David Ferreira to me physically, as if you had him here again in front of you?
Ana Cristina Mota: Well … A very good-looking person, even when he looked more weary… Gray hair… He wore a tie and always looked very well groomed (she doesn’t look at me once, it’s as if she’s travelled back in time and is now reporting to the future). He was very active despite his age.

Did he wear glasses? 

Ana Cristina Mota: Yes!

It’s one of many ways of measuring someone’s emotions, Ana cried several times in front of me, as if only today she was saying goodbye to David Ferreira, perhaps from a part of the past.

About the Professor, she recalls the roasted “chicken” lunches that he bought for his collaborators. He would sit with them in an old, damaged kitchen and they would eat and laugh without any sense of hierarchy. On special days he would even take them to Antigo Retiro do Quebra-Bilhas at Campo Grande, as a way of thanking them for their hard work and because he could not raise their wages, improve their contractual arrangements, or otherwise, show his appreciation.

One day, by mistake, hearing her name in David Ferreira’s voice, “Ana, listen”, “what is it, dad”, she instinctively replied. That’s when the Professor told her he wouldn’t mind being her father, but perhaps her real father would not take that kindly. Despite the sense of humour, the integrity was the trademark of this great master of research. Ana was only reprimanded by David Ferreira once in her life. He was really strict when setting out the rules, but he did it without fuss or bystanders.

To this day she keeps the Professor’s number stored in her phone’s memory, she can’t erase it, that’s what she has left of him. And that number even called Ana Cristina after Professor David had already died, but it was his son who was calling her to share some information. She might have had some hope that David Ferreira was immortal, but she didn’t see him again, nor did the phone ring again. He was gone for good…

From the Professor, she kept the message he proudly wrote on her graduation ribbon, to Ana, a fighter who worked by day and studied by night until she graduated.

Ana Cristina Mota is returning home, she was part of the organisation of the Centre’s library and the CDI Library team, spent time in other areas and today awaits the return to the Library to resume the journey she started 18 years ago. It will be like returning to a space that has always belonged to her. Nowadays with some updates, some renovations and new colleagues, including a new Head of Division who she personally admires, Susana Henriques. During these 23 years that have gone by, Cristina says she has considered applying for another Library of the University of Lisbon, but as there are intimate links that can never be undone, Cristina took a step back and found the right path, inside her usual home. Was it a breath from the past from the books so cherished by everyone’s master? It was his influence that lead her to enrol in the Information and Documentation Sciences course, she also realised that he had a part in what she has become. She thanks David Ferreira for being her professional advisor, shaping her destiny and much of the values she still practices today.

And so many others with a story to be told.

Joana Sousa

Editorial Team