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Talkin' 'bout four generations

4 November 2009

Nathan, John and Angas Hurst

Associate Professor John Hurst from the Faculty of Information Technology had extra reason to be proud when he witnessed his son Nathan graduating with a PhD in IT recently.

Nathan is a fourth-generation Hurst PhD – following in the line of his father (PhD Computer Engineering), his grandfather (PhD quantum field theory) and his great-grandfather (PhD in surface chemistry).

"We dusted off my grandfather's PhD gown for the occasion, and it was a really great celebration of the Hurst family's doctoral lineage," Associate Professor Hurst said.

"It was a very proud moment for the family."

All four generations of Dr Hursts were represented at the graduation on 22 October 2009: Angas Hurst was in the audience, John Hurst (son of Angas) read the graduands names, and Nathan (son of John) was a PhD graduand, wearing the same gown that his great-grandfather Walter Hurst wore at his graduation at Cambridge in 1923.

Professor Hurst's grandfather, Walter was the first South Australian, and third Australian, PhD graduate from Cambridge University.