Name Daphne Purves Died October 14, 2008 | Education University of Otago | |
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Dame Daphne Helen Purves, DBE (8 November 1908 – 14 October 2008) was New Zealand's oldest Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire at the time of her death. Her main area of expertise was education.
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She saw this as the key to better conditions for women worldwide; and the passion of her life had been the International Federation of University Women of which she was president for three years from 1977. She is fondly remembered by her former students of Waitaki Girls' High School, Otago Girls High School, Otago Boys High School and Dunedin Teachers' College.
Family
Daphne Helen Cowie married Herbert Dudley Purves (CMG, ChB, MB, MSc, Hon. DSc, FRS, FRACP; 1908 – 1993) in 1939. She is survived by her two daughters, Hilary Helen and Elizabeth Celia, and one son, Robert Dudley Purves.
IFUW Grant
The IFUW offers a Daphne Purves Grant to help women graduates to obtain specialized training and to carry out independent research in any country for a minimum period of two (2) months of work.
Death
Purves died in hospital on 14 October 2008 aged 99, 3 weeks short of her 100th birthday.
Biography
Nothing Like A Dame: A Biography of Dame Daphne Purves by Anderson, Molly (ISBN 1-877161-50-0)