Jasone Salaberria, who for so many years has worked in favour of the Basque country by our side, after several months of exercising the most painful disease, has stayed for good: All the Basque people in Iparralde are mourning.

I met Jasone half a century ago, when I had just passed from Bizkaia to this part of the border. There he had learned to work as a Basque teacher, they began to increase and increase, thinking that it could also be useful to the ikastolas here, a new course of professor was going to start.

Twenty years later, our roads crossed, the JB. After presenting his doctoral thesis under the direction of Professor Orpustan, on the occasion of the IKER HIPVAL research project, the research path was resumed as post-doc.

Surely, among the readers of Enbata, more than one had to spend many years knowing it, as thousands of people had to be seen throughout the Basque Country and its surroundings. However, this project, which analyzed the history of the Pyrenean population, called for many people to participate in good will by contributing their DNA at once, and could not be done without the prior consensus of each of the people.

After interviewing these people and obtaining their consent, Frédéric Bauduer, a hematologist at the hospital of Baiona, and, at first, Estibalitz Montoia, a young researcher, had to collect blood samples in a wide field of the Pyrenees, following tileted legal procedures, to donate blood samples to the researchers of Barcelona, once a week, in one place of the machines. It was a terrible job, that few people could take on, because it was so impossible for everyone. It required special capacity and unwavering perseverance in the organization of complex and complicated activities, as well as a great flow of collaborative work and rich courtesy. Jasone was therefore the owner of all these qualities. As all IKER colleagues are well aware.

Subsequently, Jason also participated in other research projects, together with his colleagues Irantzu Epelde and the computer scientists Josu Landa and Inma Hernández, creating new databases (ACOBA, NORANTZ, IPARRAHOTSA), above all with the same determination, enthusiasm and optimism. Manu Padilla, the young researcher who is now in Russia and who appreciated Jasone so much, also knows that.

Citing the essence of Jason’s work would be very little, if I forgot to mention his plaxent and populous character, which we found without fail in the exercise of that attitude.

J.M. Larrasquet, prior to his death, had, as a travel companion, had a neighbor who had been so crowded from him. As for the first, it is difficult for us not to remember the other. The pity is palliative in this way, now that the two are together, for those who stayed here, looking if we are going to do what it takes to keep the Basque alive and also advance in research.

I have no doubt that many of Enbata’s readers will join me in expressing, from here, the two of the best thanks and knowledge of all.