(George) Adrian Horridge FRS FAA (born 12 December 1927) is an Australian neurobiologist and professor at

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

Life

Horridge was born in

Sheffield, England Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and ...

, to George William Horridge (1897-1981) and Olive (1899-1995), daughter of Albert Stray, who owned a chain of sweetshops. The Horridge family had operated a business in Sheffield- William Horridge and Company, "Stag, Buck, Horn, Wood and Buffalo Handles, and Scale Cutters"- since 1750, producing amongst other things ivory scales for piano keys, combs, and knife handles. His paternal grandfather was the last to be involved with the company, which was sold in 1921 for £15,000 ("when you could buy a house for £100"); after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Horridge's father started a motorbike repair and sale business in his back yard, which expanded until he and a business partner were substantial motorcycle agents with a showroom and repair shops. He attended King Edward VII School. He obtained a scholarship to

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. Th ...

in 1946. He earned a PhD from the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and was appointed to a Fellowship in Chemistry at St. John's in 1953. From 1960 till 1969 he was Director of the Gatty Marine Laboratory at the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

. From 1969 till 1993 he was a professor at the Research School of Biological Sciences at the

, and subsequently Emeritus Professor. He lives in Yarralumla, Canberra. In 2001 he was awarded a

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate ...

"for service to Australian society in the biological sciences". Horridge was married for 59 years to Audrey (1930-2013), daughter of Rev. Harcourt Robert Henry Lightburne, vicar of St Mary's, Upchurch,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. She was a

Girton College, Cambridge Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college in Cambridge. In 1948, it was granted full college statu ...

and Barnett House, Oxford graduate responsible for the Service for Overseas Students- coordinating over 30,000 nationwide- with the Australian Development Agency, and formerly a social planner with the

National Capital Development Commission The National Capital Authority (NCA) is a statutory authority of the Australian Government that was established to manage the Commonwealth's interest in the planning and development of Canberra as the capital city of Australia. Timeline of ...

. Horridge has a son and four daughters.The Year 2012-2013 Girton College Cambridge, The Annual Review of Girton College, Girton College Cambridge, pp. 94-5

Works

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References

External links

Interview with the Australian Academy of Science
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horridge, Adrian 1927 births Australian neuroscientists Fellows of the Royal Society People educated at King Edward VII School, Sheffield Australian National University faculty Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Academics of the University of St Andrews Living people Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science British emigrants to Australia