Terence Fox
Encyclopedia
Terence Robert Corelli Fox (2 May 1912 – 5 October 1962), often called T.R.C. Fox, was a notable British chemical engineer
. He was a member of the Atomic Energy Council
and the first Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering
at the University of Cambridge
.
Fox was born on 2 May 1912, the son of an electrical engineer, and attended Regent Street Polytechnic Technical School and Jesus College, Cambridge
. He graduated from the latter in 1933 with a degree in mechanical sciences. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography describes his success in the tripos
as "unparalled"; he received a starred first and all available prizes, including the Rex Moir Prize and prizes for the best marks in Thermodynamics, Aeronautical Engineering and Structures, all in the same examination.
Fox returned to the Engineering Department at Cambridge four years after graduating, having first served a stint as a technical assistant at Imperial Chemical Industries
. He began as a demonstrator and became a fellow of King's College, Cambridge
in 1941. Due to his teaching position he did not see active service in the Second World War, but he was commissioned as a second lieutenant
in the University Officer Training Corps, Royal Signals section, on 3 October 1942, a commission he resigned on 9 February 1946.
In 1945, he became a lecturer in the Engineering Department at Cambridge. In that same year, on March 2, 1945, the university accepted an endowment to form a chemical engineering department by the Shell Group of Oil Companies
, who would also sponsor a department chair. Though not established in the field, Fox was announced as the first to fill the chair position in June 1946.
Fox spent several years preparing the department before beginning to accept students in 1948. He was a supportive chair, dedicated to financing and furthering the research of others, including the team of Francis Thomas Bacon
when they developed the hydrogen
-oxygen
fuel cell
. He remained in the position until 1959, when poor health forced him to retire, and was succeeded by Peter Victor Danckwerts
. According to The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Fox's poor health was the result of a high stress personality, which led him to "a succession of nervous breakdowns in the early 1950s". He died at the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases
in London on 5 October 1962.
On March 2, 1963, the T.R.C. Fox Fund was established at Cambridge in tribute to his memory. The Fund is used to provide an annual award to the student who does best on the Chemical Engineering Tripos, as long as that student is able to attain "the standard of the first class".
Chemical engineer
In the field of engineering, a chemical engineer is the profession in which one works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products, and deals with the design and operation of plants and equipment to perform such work...
. He was a member of the Atomic Energy Council
Atomic Energy Council
Atomic Energy Council is an independent government agency of the Executive Yuan, Republic of China which is responsible for atomic safety, development and regulations. It also conducts research and development into atomic technologies.- History :...
and the first Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering
Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering
The Shell Professors of Chemical Engineering is a professorship at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
.
Fox was born on 2 May 1912, the son of an electrical engineer, and attended Regent Street Polytechnic Technical School and Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
. He graduated from the latter in 1933 with a degree in mechanical sciences. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography describes his success in the tripos
Tripos
The University of Cambridge, England, divides the different kinds of honours bachelor's degree by Tripos , plural Triposes. The word has an obscure etymology, but may be traced to the three-legged stool candidates once used to sit on when taking oral examinations...
as "unparalled"; he received a starred first and all available prizes, including the Rex Moir Prize and prizes for the best marks in Thermodynamics, Aeronautical Engineering and Structures, all in the same examination.
Fox returned to the Engineering Department at Cambridge four years after graduating, having first served a stint as a technical assistant at Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
. He began as a demonstrator and became a fellow of King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
in 1941. Due to his teaching position he did not see active service in the Second World War, but he was commissioned as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the University Officer Training Corps, Royal Signals section, on 3 October 1942, a commission he resigned on 9 February 1946.
In 1945, he became a lecturer in the Engineering Department at Cambridge. In that same year, on March 2, 1945, the university accepted an endowment to form a chemical engineering department by the Shell Group of Oil Companies
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
, who would also sponsor a department chair. Though not established in the field, Fox was announced as the first to fill the chair position in June 1946.
Fox spent several years preparing the department before beginning to accept students in 1948. He was a supportive chair, dedicated to financing and furthering the research of others, including the team of Francis Thomas Bacon
Francis Thomas Bacon
Francis Thomas Bacon OBE FREng F.R.S. was an English engineer who developed the first practical hydrogen–oxygen fuel cell.- Life and works :...
when they developed the hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
-oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
fuel cell
Fuel cell
A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Hydrogen is the most common fuel, but hydrocarbons such as natural gas and alcohols like methanol are sometimes used...
. He remained in the position until 1959, when poor health forced him to retire, and was succeeded by Peter Victor Danckwerts
Peter Victor Danckwerts
Peter Victor Danckwerts GC, MBE, FRS was Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering at Cambridge University from 1959 to 1977 and a Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge....
. According to The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Fox's poor health was the result of a high stress personality, which led him to "a succession of nervous breakdowns in the early 1950s". He died at the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases
National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery is a neurological hospital in London, United Kingdom and part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust...
in London on 5 October 1962.
On March 2, 1963, the T.R.C. Fox Fund was established at Cambridge in tribute to his memory. The Fund is used to provide an annual award to the student who does best on the Chemical Engineering Tripos, as long as that student is able to attain "the standard of the first class".