In the Maths Office Steve was always entertaining, once debating at length whether an exclamation mark in a received email implied levity or displeasure on the part of the sender. He could often be heard on the phone to one company or another, complaining about various things that had annoyed him. In spite of this apparently combative nature Steve was always a perfect gentleman in personal dealings, and his wry humour and keen sense of the absurd always allowed him to see things in perspective in the end. He was a true character, and will be sorely missed by all in the Maths Department. Mark O’Neill Steve had a wry and mischievous sense of humour. When discussing the finer points of a Mathematical argument, such as the cusp of a cardioid, Steve would forcefully express his view-point, and this would engender further discussion of what were often very specialised points in this subject. Steve’s great love was that of his faithful companions, his dogs. He would always put them first, setting up house and home to allow the dogs to live like princes. Steve was a man who stuck to tried and tested ways, both in his teaching, and in his life. He was a great friend of many of us in the department. Jeremy Lord Highly intelligent, tenacious and generous, with a wonderfully wry sense of humour, Steve’s quiet and unassuming manner meant that these attributes were, perhaps, not always evident to all. His determination to win on the squash or tennis court (which he invariably did, due to his talent in both sports) was mirrored in his unflinching resolve to see a just cause fought through to a successful conclusion. His droll observations on both work and life-related absurdities were a tonic for the soul and will be missed by many, as will, of course, his much-valued friendship. David Smith I first met Steve during my time in the Upper School as a boy. As my form tutor for two years he was caring and compassionate, funny, and genuinely enthusiastic about his work, always looking out for us. At the same time, as my Pure Mathematics teacher, he was intimidatingly intelligent: the sort of person who always had the answer to any question and could explain any underlying theory, no matter how challenging the subject-matter. Being in his form, I quickly discovered that Steve ran the squash team, so a friend and
Richard Clancy I decided to take up the sport, enthused and supported by Steve all the way, and playing for the school until we left in 2011. When I re-joined the College as a teacher, Steve was naturally one of the first friends I made. I quickly took up the role of Second in Charge of Squash and thoroughly enjoyed working with him as a colleague. Steve was a great tutor, teacher, mathematician, sportsman and colleague. He was also a really friendly and approachable man. He will be sorely missed. Dr Purchase was my form tutor and Maths teacher for a year and a half, and through that time I felt we really built a connection. There was a time last year when I was going through some personal, non-academic, issues and while there were other people for me to talk to, Dr Purchase took it upon himself to talk to me and try to help me work through these issues, never in a way that seemed authoritative, but in the way two friends would speak to each other, suggesting ways to help, instead of pointing out my flaws. The quality that most stood out to me was the way he treated me and the other students; he never spoke as if he was above us or better than us in any way. He always talked to me like I was an actual person, not just a student and he gained my (and I’m sure all of his other students’) respect for that. I know that he will be sorely missed by all of us who knew him. Theo Podger (Year 13) Dr Purchase taught me in my final year at the College (2013-14), and although it was only for a short time, he made a great impact on our class. He was a truly kind man who took an active interest in all of the members of our class, notwithstanding our very varied abilities. He was a great teacher, who adapted to his classes and was very flexible. Perhaps more importantly, he was just a nice bloke, who always indulged our stupid jokes and ideas, making lessons (on a Monday morning especially) engaging and enjoyable. He was also always ready to answer questions about things outside of Maths, especially regarding university and beyond the College. For all of this I shall always be thankful and grateful. He really embodied what the College was all about, at least for me; not just academic success but personal enjoyment and development. Ned Tidmarsh (OA)
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