▁K ä te ▁S per ling ▁( 2 1 ▁December ▁ 1 9 0 5 ▁– ▁ 1 9 ▁December ▁ 1 9 8 3 ) ▁was ▁a ▁Jewish ▁German ▁math ematic ian , ▁best ▁known ▁for ▁her ▁work ▁on ▁non - abel ian ▁groups . ▁ ▁Born ▁in ▁Berlin ▁of ▁a ▁newspaper ▁rep orter ▁and ▁a ▁book keeper , ▁young ▁K ä te ▁learned ▁to ▁read ▁and ▁write ▁sooner ▁than ▁most ▁children , ▁and ▁after ▁ski pping ▁a ▁few ▁gr ades , ▁was ▁given ▁scholar ships ▁to ▁attend ▁private ▁school . ▁She ▁faced ▁some ▁gender ▁disc rim ination ▁in ▁attempting ▁to ▁complete ▁her ▁studies ▁in ▁pure ▁mathematics ▁at ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Berlin , ▁and ▁went ▁into ▁mathematics ▁education ▁as ▁a ▁fall back ▁at ▁first . ▁As ▁Adolf ▁Hitler ▁came ▁to ▁power , ▁she ▁lost ▁her ▁job ▁and ▁married ▁Werner ▁Fen ch el , ▁also ▁a ▁Jew . ▁The ▁newly w eds ▁escaped ▁to ▁Den mark , ▁where ▁she ▁helped ▁other ▁German ▁Jews ▁escape ▁Naz i ▁per sec ution . ▁But ▁when ▁Den mark ▁was ▁occupied ▁by ▁the ▁Naz is , ▁they ▁had ▁to ▁fle e ▁to ▁Sweden . ▁After ▁the ▁war , ▁the ▁Fen ch els ▁returned ▁to ▁Den mark , ▁but ▁K ä te ▁did ▁not ▁publish ▁any ▁papers ▁until ▁two ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 2 , ▁and ▁another ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 8 . ▁ ▁Bibli ography ▁ ▁E . ▁H ø y rup ▁`` K ä te ▁Fen ch el " ▁in ▁Women ▁of ▁Mathemat ics :