Theodore Thomson Flynn
Theodore Thomson Flynn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 11 October 1883 Coraki, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 23 October 1968 (aged 85) Liss, Hampshire, England |
| Spouse |
Lily Mary (Marelle) Young
(m. 1909) |
| Children | Errol Flynn |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | |
Theodore Thomson Flynn MBE FLS FZS FRS MRIA (11 October 1883 – 23 October 1968) was an Australian-British zoologist and marine biologist and a professor in both Tasmania and the United Kingdom. He was the first biology professor in Tasmania. Flynn was the father of the actor Errol Flynn.
Biography
[edit]Theodore Thomson Flynn was born in Coraki, New South Wales, Australia, the son of Jessie B. (née Thomson) and John Flynn a cordial manufacturer.[1] Flynn attended Fort Street High School and later went to Sydney Teachers' College at the University of Sydney and earned a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Biology in 1907. He later gained Doctor of Philosophy (D.Sc.) in 1921 for his work on marsupial embryology. Flynn began working as a chemistry and physics teacher at Newcastle High School and Maitland High School. He became a biology lecturer at the University of Tasmania in 1909, becoming the first biology professor in Tasmania. He later became a professor in 1911 and teaching there until 1930.[2]
He married Lily Mary (Marelle) Young on 23 January 1909; they had two children together, a daughter Nora Rosemary Flynn, and a son, the film actor Errol Flynn.[3] Flynn and his family then moved to Northern Ireland where he served as the Chair of Zoology at Queen's University of Belfast from 1931 to 1948; he also became director of the marine station at Portaferry.[3]
After the Belfast Blitz, Flynn was the chief casualty officer for the city.[4] On 1 January 1945, Flynn was awarded an Order of the British Empire for his service.[5]
Flynn named one new species of sub-tropical kelpfish he discovered – Gibbonsia erroli – after his son.[6]
Flynn died in Liss, Hampshire, England, on 23 October, 1968.[7]
Legacy
[edit]Flynn Lake, Macquarie Island was named after Flynn.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Theodore Thomson Flynn and Errol Flynn: the Professor and the Tasmanian Devil exhibition". University of Tasmania Library. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ^ "Flynn, Theodore Thomson". Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation. Swinburne University of Technology - Centre for Transformative Innovation. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ^ a b Bryden, William, "Flynn, Theodore Thomson (1883–1968)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 14 July 2022
- ^ Professor T.T. Flynn with his wife Archived 2006-05-29 at the Wayback Machine, multitext.ucc.ie; accessed 26 January 2017.
- ^ "Belfast Gazette (number 1,223)" (PDF).
- ^ "Famous fictional pirate based on Irish double agent who stole Crown Jewels". News Letter. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ "Flynn, Theodore Thomson". Encyclopedia of Australian Science. The University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
External links
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- Harrison, Tony (2008). "Climbing to the top: TT Flynn in Tasmania, 1909-1931". Papers and Proceedings: Tasmanian Historical Research Association. 55 (3): 160–174.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1883 births
- 1968 deaths
- 20th-century Australian zoologists
- Academics of Queen's University Belfast
- Australian expatriates in the United Kingdom
- Australian marine biologists
- Fellows of the Linnean Society of London
- Fellows of the Royal Society
- Fellows of the Zoological Society of London
- People from New South Wales
- Members of the Royal Irish Academy
- Members of the Order of the British Empire
- Academic staff of the University of Tasmania