In Memory of Dr Purchase Mathematics Teacher at Dulwich College 2002-2017
It was with great sadness that the College heard last November that Dr Purchase had died. Dr Purchase joined the College in 2002, having taught briefly at Hills Road Sixth Form College and at Eton College beforehand. Dr Purchase oversaw the writing of this magazine, DC Mathematica, each year, helping organise the articles submitted by boys and staff and arranging the printing in time for Founder’s Day. Dr Purchase’s love of Mathematics was evident to those with whom he came into contact. The subject of his PhD thesis was galactic clusters, solving the n -body problem using computational numerical methods. In his memory, the prize for the best article for DC Mathematica will be named the Purchase Prize from now on. Dr Purchase will be much missed by his colleagues at the College, both in the Mathematics Department and more widely. While many knew Dr Purchase as a Mathematics teacher, anyone in his form would tell you that he was far more than that. In addition to being my form tutor, he was a mentor, especially to me, but I am certain to many others as well and in my time under his tutelage, he taught me far more than just Pure Mathematics. Dr Purchase was always willing to listen to any concerns I had, be they academic or not, and it seemed to me that he would always do his absolute best to provide me with a solution. While he was light years ahead of me in terms of academic knowledge, we always spoke as equals – I never felt talked down to. I know that he will be sorely missed by his students and all those who had the privilege to know him. Dr Purchase was also widely respected by his students, one of whom, Theo Podger (13MF3) writes:
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