Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Taunt, Derek (1917-2004), mathematician and Fellow of Jesus College
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Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
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Description area
Dates of existence
16 November 1917 – 15 July 2004
History
Derek Roy Taunt studied mathematics at Jesus College between 1936 and 1939. He was accepted as a research student by G. H. Hardy, but this was postponed by the outbreak of World War II. Taunt was initially allocated to work on ballistics at Kemnal Manor in Chislehurst. In August 1941 he was moved to Bletchley Park and assigned to Hut 6, the section in charge of decrypting German Army and Air Force Enigma signals.
After the war he returned to Cambridge, and worked on group theory.
As a Fellow of Jesus College he was at various times a Director of Studies, Tutor, Bursar, and President (1979 to 1982).
In 1982 he became Emeritus Fellow.
He was married to the English artist Angela Verren and they had three children.
In an email to the College Derek's son Chris wrote that his family had a very long and happy association with the College. His mother was quite involved in College social life and both he and his brother were boy choristers in the College choir and played cricket from the Dons High Table team which his father ran.