Sir Percy Edward Kent (18 March 1913 – 9 July 1986) was a British geologist who won the Royal Medal in 1971. Awarded the

Bigsby Medal The Bigsby Medal is a medal of the Geological Society of London established by John Jeremiah Bigsby. It is awarded for the study of American geology. Recipients SourcThe Geological Society See also * List of geology awards * Prizes named afte ...

in 1955 and the

Murchison Medal The Murchison Medal is an academic award established by Roderick Murchison, who died in 1871. First awarded in 1873, it is normally given to people who have made a significant contribution to geology by means of a substantial body of research and ...

in 1969, he was made a

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 th ...

in the

1973 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1973 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were published on 2 June 1973 for ...

Early life

He attended West Bridgford Grammar School. From the

University of Nottingham , mottoeng = A city is built on wisdom , established = 1798 – teacher training college1881 – University College Nottingham1948 – university status , type = Public , chancellor ...

he gained a BSc in 1934, and a PhD in 1941.

Career

P.E. Kent joined Louis Leakey and

Mary Leakey Mary Douglas Leakey, FBA (née Nicol, 6 February 1913 – 9 December 1996) was a British paleoanthropologist who discovered the first fossilised ''Proconsul'' skull, an extinct ape which is now believed to be ancestral to humans. She also disc ...

in their 1935 investigation of

Olduvai Gorge The Olduvai Gorge or Oldupai Gorge in Tanzania is one of the most important paleoanthropological localities in the world; the many sites exposed by the gorge have proven invaluable in furthering understanding of early human evolution. A steep-si ...

. He was Chief Geologist from 1966-71 of BP. In 1969-1970 he served as the President of the Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union, where he already served as the sectional officer for geology. From 1974-6 he was President of the

Geological Society of London The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

Personal life

He married Margaret (Betty) Hood in 1940, and they had two daughters, one of whom is Helen Cooper. His first wife died in 1974. In 1976 he married Lorna Scott. He lived in

West Bridgford West Bridgford is a town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Rushcliffe in the county of Nottinghamshire, England. It lies immediately south of the city of Nottingham, from which the River Trent divides it. Forming part of the Not ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, Percy Edward 1913 births 1986 deaths Royal Medal winners 20th-century British geologists BP people Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Geological Society of London Knights Bachelor People from West Bridgford People educated at West Bridgford School Alumni of the University of Nottingham Members of the Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union