The Queen's College Record 2023

Obituaries
He was principally a batsman in the old-fashioned style, play yourself in carefully,
don’t give your wicket away. Later he much preferred to watch a slow Test Match
than today’s 20:20 cricket...not cricket at all. Abingdon became his base for 30 years
or more. He was a very loyal man. Through his introduction I joined the club, and
played for three or four seasons with him. Abingdon changed my life, as it was there
I met Ruth who has been my wife since 1969.
Rodger Booth (Chemistry, 1962)
I first met Martin when I came to The Queen’s College as a Fellow three decades
ago. He made me feel very welcome and put a great deal of effort into explaining
the proper way to do all sorts of things. It was very helpful and I continued to benefit
from his ideas and help for 30 years. He was an important person in the lives of
many members of the College, students, staff and Fellows, as attested by the many
tributes to him that the College has received.
Martin first came to the College as a 19-year-old student in 1960 to read
Mathematics. He achieved a first-class degree but, by all accounts, was clever
enough to do that whilst spending a large fraction of his time on sports. He then
immediately became a Junior Research Fellow whilst he did his DPhil during which
he received a prize for the quality of his work. Without break, he then became a
Tutorial Fellow in Mathematics in 1966 – a position he only retired from in 2008
after publishing 70 academic papers on mathematics and developing more than
20 different undergraduate and graduate lecture courses. He actually continued
with the College role of supervising sports until Trinity 2020, so a total of 60 years
at College one way or another.
He and Peter Neumann, who also had a long career in the College, were a brilliant
tutorial team – they had a detailed understanding of their tutees which was admired
by colleagues in the College and they inspired many of their students to achieve
great success in University Examinations. One of Martin’s tutees told me that
despite reservations she was persuaded to come to Oxford to study by Martin’s
straight forward way of talking during a visit, and also how he had supported and
encouraged her during her studies; eventually to become a mathematician herself.
He took a real interest in his pupils, not just in their work, but ferrying them to exams
in Summertown, inviting them to garden parties at his house, and taking a keen
interest in any sports in which they were involved. He also engaged with students
after they left, continuing to write to those who contacted him. He was very pleased
when the young people he had encouraged as students, either in mathematics or
in other ways, did well in life, particularly if it was sports orientated.
Martin was known not just to the mathematics students, but to the whole student
body of the College through his position as Dean, which he held for 34 years from
1974 to his retirement, and through his role as Senior Treasurer of the Amalgamated
104 The Queen’s College | College Record 2023