Irvine Noel Baker 1932–2001

Abstract

Noel Baker was born on 10 August 1932 and died, of a heart attack, on 20 May 2001. He was the only child of a farming family living near the township of Virginia north of Adelaide in South Australia, and a fourth‐generation Australian. From 1938 to 1944 he attended the local school, winning a scholarship to King's College, Adelaide, and from there another scholarship to Prince Alfred College, Adelaide. Here he was inspired by an enthusiastic mathematics teacher, Mr Williams, who expected pupils to practise mathematics assiduously, even on Saturday mornings. Prince Alfred College still aims to foster a love of mathematics today, and it has recently launched a centre for excellence in mathematics, named after Noel.