John Medley (vice-chancellor)
Sir John Medley | |
---|---|
Vice-Chancellor, University of Melbourne | |
In office 1 July 1938 – 1 July 1951 | |
Preceded by | Sir Raymond Priestly |
Succeeded by | Sir George Paton |
Personal details | |
Born | John Dudley Gibbs Medley 19 April 1891 Oxford, England |
Died | 26 September 1962 Harkaway, Victoria, Australia | (aged 71)
Alma mater | |
Awards |
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Sir John Dudley Gibbs Medley was an Australian businessman and administrator. He held the position of Vice-Chancellor at the University of Melbourne from 1938 to 1951.[1]
Early life
[edit]Medley was born on 19 April 1891 in Oxford, England to Dudley Julius Medley and Isabel Alice Medley (née Gibbs). He was the eldest of seven children.[1]
Military service
[edit]Medley was commissioned in 1914 in the 6th (Glamorgan) Battalion, Welsh Regiment. He later served as a railway transport officer in France and Belgium.[1]
The University of Melbourne
[edit]Medley was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne on 1 July 1938, and oversaw the administration and leadership of the university through World War II. He was chairman of the Vice-Chancellors' Committee, which met regularly during the latter stages of the war to plan the activities of the newly founded Universities Commission[2] and the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme.[1]
Legacy
[edit]In 1971, the John Medley Building at the University of Melbourne, Parkville Campus was named in Medley's honour.[3]
Medley Hall, the smallest residential college of the University of Melbourne, was named in Medley's honour in 1955.[4]
Medley was a member of the Eugenics Society of Victoria, an organisation which, among other things, justified the White Australia Policy and the removal of Aboriginal children from their parents.[5] In the light of that, students at both Melbourne and Monash universities campaigned in the mid-2010s to rename the John Medley Building at Melbourne University and the John Medley Library at the Clayton campus of Monash University. [6]
The Monash campaign was successful and the library was renamed the Student Union Recreational Library (Surly).[7][8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Serle, Geoffrey (2000). "Sir John Dudley Gibbs (Jack) Medley (1891–1962)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 15. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
- ^ "Universities Commission". Townsville Daily Bulletin. 1943-02-11. Retrieved 2025-01-20 – via Trove.
- ^ Goad, Philip. (2003). Architecture on Campus : A Guide to the University of Melbourne and its Colleges. MUP. ISBN 0-522-85059-6. OCLC 800332147.
- ^ "University accommodation: Our history". The University of Melbourne. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ Dobbin, Marika (2015-11-27). "Heart of darkness: Melbourne University's racist professors". The Age. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
- ^ Copp, Amanda (10 April 2017). "Link to eugenics spur Melbourne universities to rename buildings". SBS News. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- ^ "About the Library". Monash Student Association. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- ^ Crozier, Jayden; Nichols, Bryda (25 February 2017). "A Medley Of Evil – A Dark History Of Our Student Union Library". Lot's Wife. Monash Student Association. Retrieved 20 January 2025.