Sir Thomas MacFarland Cherry F.A.A., F.R.S. (21 May 1898 – 21 November 1966) was an Australian mathematician, serving as Professor of Mathematics (pure, mixed and applied) at the University of Melbourne from 1929 until his retirement in 1963.J. J. Cross
'Cherry, Sir Thomas MacFarland (1898–1966)'
''Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 13'', Melbourne University Press, 1993, pp 410–411.

Early years

Tom was born in the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

suburb of

Glen Iris Glen Iris may refer to: *Glen Iris, Victoria, Australia *Glen Iris, Western Australia A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whit ...

on 21 May 1898 and was educated at Scotch College where in 1914 he was dux, winning exhibitions in algebra, physics and chemistry in the public exams. He proceeded to

Ormond College Ormond College is the largest of the residential colleges of the University of Melbourne located in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is home to around 350 undergraduates, 90 graduates and 35 professorial and academic residents. Hi ...

at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

where he studied mathematics, winning prizes and scholarships. After graduating, he enlisted in the A.I.F. in July 1918 and was posted to the

Australian Flying Corps The Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was the branch of the Australian Army responsible for operating aircraft during World War I, and the forerunner of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The AFC was established in 1912, though it was not until ...

. Discharged in December 1918, he decided to commence studying medicine in 1919. However, his godfather Sir John MacFarland, a distinguished mathematician, physicist and the first master of Ormond College since 1881, offered him financial assistance to continue to study mathematics at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

Britain

Cherry spent the next decade in Britain, first at

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

where he was elected a Fellow (1924), then substituting for Professor

Edward Arthur Milne Edward Arthur Milne FRS (; 14 February 1896 – 21 September 1950) was a British astrophysicist and mathematician. Biography Milne was born in Hull, Yorkshire, England. He attended Hymers College and from there he won an open scholarship ...

at Manchester (1924-1925), and Professor Sir

Charles Galton Darwin Sir Charles Galton Darwin (19 December 1887 – 31 December 1962) was an English physicist who served as director of the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) during the Second World War. He was a son of the mathematician George Howard Darwin an ...

at Edinburgh (1927).

Australia

He returned to Australia in 1929 to the chair of "pure and mixed mathematics" at the University of Melbourne. During the Second World War he worked on research into radar, explosives and operations research. In 1952 he reluctantly assumed the chair of applied mathematics, and from 1950 until his retirement in 1963 and death in 1966, his work in the advancement of the teaching of mathematics at all levels was acknowledged and rewarded by many prestigious bodies. He was knighted in 1965.

Career summary

*1918 1st Class Honours,

*1922 Graduated B.A. (

) *1924 Ph.D. (Cambridge) *1924–8 Fellow

*1929–63 Chair of Mathematics – University of Melbourne *1948 Pollock Memorial Lecturer –

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

*1950 Sc.D. (Cambridge) *1951 Lyle Medallist,

Australian National Research Council The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal Soci ...

*1954 F.R.S. *1954

Foundation Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal Soci ...

*1956-58 1st President of AustMS *1961-63 1st President of the Victorian Computer Society *1961–65 President of

A.A.S. An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The f ...

*1963 Honorary D.Sc. A.N.U. & University of W.A. *1965

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

Personal

Cherry was a keen mountaineer, and was heavily involved in the Boy Scouts movement. While commissioner of Boy Scouts for Cambridge in 1924, he met Olive Ellen Wright, a Girl Guide commissioner. In 1931 he returned to England and married her on 24 January 1931 at Holy Trinity parish church in Cambridge. He died of

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may ...

on 21 November 1966 at

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...

and was buried in Gisborne cemetery. He was survived by his wife and daughter.

Legacy

*The TM Cherry Prize awarded annually by

ANZIAM The Australian Mathematical Society (AustMS) was founded in 1956 and is the national society of the mathematics profession in Australia. One of the Society's listed purposes is to promote the cause of mathematics in the community by representing ...

since 1969.The TM Cherry Prize
www.anziam.org.au

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cherry, Thomas MacFarland 1898 births 1966 deaths Mathematicians from Melbourne Knights Bachelor Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science Presidents of the Australian Academy of Science