Dennis Curry

Dennis Curry (18 May 1912 – 3 March 2001) was a British businessman, geologist and philanthropist. He was born into the family that owned and ran the Currys electrical goods retail chain, and took his place in the family business, rising to become its chairman.

While at school he developed a passion for geology and studied this subject, initially at Jesus College, Cambridge, and subsequently as a hobby for the rest of his life. His scientific contributions earned the recognition of professional colleagues – most notably in the award of the Prestwich Medal of the Geologists' Association in 1966 – as well as a visiting professorship and part-time teaching position at University College London. He collected many thousands of specimens and published over 120 scientific papers, endowed a number of societies and institutions with funds and gifts of Currys' shares, and shortly before his death, passed his scientific collections of specimens and books to London's Natural History Museum, where they remain accessible as the "Dennis Curry Collection".