Trevor West

Trevor West
West in 2005
Senator
In office
13 May 1982 – 23 February 1983
In office
19 November 1970 – 8 October 1981
ConstituencyDublin University
Personal details
Born
Timothy Trevor West

(1938-05-08)8 May 1938
County Cork, Ireland
Died30 October 2012(2012-10-30) (aged 74)
County Cork, Ireland
Political partyIndependent
Spouse
Maura Lee
​
(m. 1995)​
Education
Alma mater

Timothy Trevor West (8 May 1938 – 30 October 2012)[1] was an Irish mathematician, academic and politician.[2]

Biography

He was born on 8 May 1938 in County Cork, the eldest of four sons of Timothy Roberts West, headmaster of Midleton College, and Dorothy West (née McNeill).[3]

He was educated at Midleton College,[4] and The High School, Dublin. West was a graduate of Trinity College Dublin (TCD), where he was elected a scholar, and of the University of Cambridge.[5] In 1970 he was elected a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin and was also an associate professor of mathematics, Junior Dean, and a great supporter of sport at Trinity.[6] He was also a Member of the Royal Irish Academy.[4] He subsequently was a Senior Fellow of TCD.[7]

On 19 November 1970, West was elected to Seanad Éireann, at a by-election for the Dublin University constituency caused by the death of Owen Sheehy-Skeffington.[2] After his election, he established a reputation as one of the few liberal voices in the Seanad.[1] He was re-elected to the Seanad in 1973 and 1977, lost his seat at the 1981 Seanad election but was re-elected in 1982, then lost his seat again at the 1983 Seanad election.[2]

With John T. Lewis and D. McQuillan, West drew up the constitution of the Irish Mathematical Society.[8]

He was the author of The Bold Collegians, a history of sport in Trinity College,[6] and was an avid follower of Trinity College's sports programs. He also wrote a history of Midleton College, published for its tercentenary in 1996.[9]

Memorials

An event was held in his memory at the Royal Irish Academy in December 2013 where a memorial issue of the Mathematical Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy was presented.[10]

A book of essays celebrating his life, Trevor West : The Bold Collegian, was published in October 2016.[11]

On 14 September 2018, a new sports hall in Midleton College dedicated to the memory of Trevor West was opened by the Provost of Trinity College, Patrick Prendergast.[12]

Publications

  • Trevor West, with Rien Kaashoek, Locally compact semi-algebras : with applications to spectral theory of positive operators (Amsterdam; London: North-Holland Publishing Co., 1974)
  • Trevor West, The Bold Collegians. The Development of Sport in Trinity College Dublin (Dublin, 1991)
  • Trevor West, Midleton College, 1696–1996: A Tercentenary History (Midleton: Midleton College, 1996)

Further reading

  • Maura Lee West, ed., Trevor West: the Bold Collegian (The Lilliput Press, 2016), with contributions by Sean D. Barrett, Paul Colton, Paul Coulson, Cathy Doyle, Roy Garland, Michael Halliday, Finbarr Holland, Mary Henry, Gary Hufbauer, John Kelly, Andrew Bonar Law, John McCarthy, Iggy McGovern, Hugo MacNeill, Tom Mitchell, Michael Mortell, Ulick O'Connor, Mary Robinson, Cyril Smith, Richard M. Timoney, John Tyrrell, John West, Michael West, and Charles Woodhouse. ISBN 9781843516767

References

  1. ^ a b "Vigorous scholar, sportsman and senator". The Irish Times. 3 November 2012.
  2. ^ a b c "Timothy Trevor West". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  3. ^ Timoney, Richard M. "West, Trevor". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b "In Memoriam – Timothy Trevor West" (PDF). Dublin University Central Athletic Club. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  5. ^ "Funeral tomorrow of former TCD academic and senator". The Irish Times. 2 November 2012.
  6. ^ a b "The Bold Collegians". The Lilliput Press. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  7. ^ The University of Dublin Calendar 2000-01. 2000.
  8. ^ The MacTutor History of Mathematics archive page on The Irish Mathematical Society
  9. ^ Trevor West, Midleton College, 1696–1996: A Tercentenary History (Midleton, County Cork: Midleton College, 1996)
  10. ^ Trevor West: An Irish Mathematician Archived 2013-12-13 at archive.today
  11. ^ "Trevor West : The Bold Collegian". Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  12. ^ "Speech by Bishop Paul Colton on the occasion of the official opening of the Trevor West sports hall". churchofirelandcork.com. 16 September 2018.