2013 Annual Report - Jesus College - University of Cambridge

OBITUARIES I Jesus College Annual Report 2013 159
house in Autignac, a village near Beziers in the South of France. The house needed
complete modernisation and, despite the usual delays and cost-overruns, she succeeded
in created a lovely home from home. In 2008, Catherine moved to the village of Ashwell,
Hertfordshire, where she quickly made new friends and became involved in the church.
She had been accepted for training as a lay reader when she was diagnosed with cancer
last Easter. She faced her illness with fortitude, faith and good spirits until the end.
PIGGOTT, John Cyril (1971) died on 19 November 2012 aged 60.
John Piggott was born on 31 March 1952 in Oxford. Educated at Magdalen College
School, Oxford, he came up to read Natural Sciences in 1971. He graduated BA 1974;
MA 1978.
We are grateful to John’s wife, Pat for the following:
“At Cambridge, he developed an interest in Science Fiction which was to stay with
him for the rest of his life and led to him gathering an extensive collection of science
fiction books. He also played Postal Diplomacy, an activity based on the Diplomacy
Board game and through this developed a large collection of like-minded friends.
He served as General Secretary of the Nation Postal Diplomacy Games Club. It led to
him publishing his own magazine, Ethil the Frog. He also played Scrabble and his best
result was 5th place in the National Scrabble Championships in 1975. In 1975, he and
his friend Richard Sharp published The St Michael Book of Games.”
After University, he joined the Civil Service, starting in the Cabinet Office and
transferring to the Department of Education and Science in 1978. He retired due to ill
health in 1991 but was able to take a job at the Post Office a few years later. Sadly only a
few months after retiring from the Post Office he died.
He is survived by his wife, Pat and their daughter and two sons.
PORRITT John Norman (1952) died on 23 April 2012 aged 78.
John Porritt was born on 14 May 1933 in Kasama, Zambia. Prior to coming up to Jesus in
1952 he was educated at Mill Hill School, London. He read Part I Mathematics and Part II
Moral Sciences. Whilst at College, he was considered by Professor Jennings to be “a very
upright young man and very pleasant to deal with”. He graduated BA 1955. As a
conscientious objector he worked in Vienna with refugees from the 1956 Hungarian
uprising, rather than completing National Service in the military. He subsequently
trained to be a teacher at the Institute of Education, London. From 1959 to 1963 he
taught at Rickmansworth Grammar School, whilst also studying for a BSc in
Mathematics at Birkbeck College, London. He then lectured at The Malayan Teachers
College, Penang. Following his return to the UK he lectured at Bede College, Durham.
He was then seconded to The University of the South Pacific as a teacher trainer, where
he said he had the biggest classroom in the world. He returned to Bede College, giving
another six years’ service, whilst also achieving an MSc from Durham University and
teaching at the Open University. After being made redundant he went back into the
classroom teaching Maths and some Religious Studies at The Royal Grammar School,
Newcastle Upon Tyne. In 1992 he again taught with the Open University as a course
tutor; his eventual retirement came in 2003. His wife, Heather reports:
“His retirement gave him the time to devote to his lifelong interest in gardening and
his other interests of bridge and long distance walking and his gifts as a linguist.
He also devoted much time to church work especially preaching in a local fellowship.
He was above all a devoted family man.”