Adcock, Cyril John (1904-1987) - Papers

Fonds — Multiple Containers

Identifier: adcj

Staff Only

About the collection

This collection contains records to do with Adcock's academic and social activities. There is a small amount of family correspondence, which is restricted. There are no patient records.

The collection includes published and unpublished papers by Adcock, and teaching material prepared by him. There are significant records to do with the WEA in England and New Zealand, including an unpublished history of the WEA in Wellington. Other significant material relates to the establishment of a Psychologists' Society in New Zealand.

Dates

1920c-1988

Conditions Governing Access

Partially closed. Papers - bona-fide scholars only. Personal and family papers only with the consent of the family [see notes].

Biographical/Historical note

Academic career with relevance to Victoria University of Wellington:

MA (NZ: Auckland), PhD (London), FBPsS

Mental & Moral Philosophy: Jr lecturer, 1947-48 Psychology & Philosophy: Lecturer, 1948-49 Psychology: Lecturer, 1949-50; Senior lecturer, 1950-64; Assoc. Prof. 1964-70; Retired, 1970.

Adcock (usually called John but sometimes Cyril) worked particularly on 'psychological testing and factor-analytic research psychometrics' [Barrowman, 244, 246] and retired as Associate Professor of Psychology. He was also interested in Esperanto.

He was the father, by his first wife Irene, of Fleur Adcock and Marilyn Duckworth. His second wife, Ngaire Valmai Adcock, also lectured in Psychology 1964-1988, and it was she who organised the deposit of his archives, which were voluminous and unsorted. Some of her material is included.

Offprints also in VUW Authors collection (series 'Staffpub').

Extent

800 linear_centimeters

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Custodial History

The bulk of this collection was transferred by John Adcock's widow, Ngaire, in 1990. Some later papers were included with a transfer of Ngaire Adcock's papers in 2010. Both transfers were voluminous and disordered, with evidence of some re-arrangement prior to transfer. Some records, for example correspondence, publications and travel information, relate to both John and Ngaire, and some of Ngaire's papers were included in the first transfer. Therefore, some consideration was given to describing the records of John and Ngaire Adcock together as one collection.

However as the bulk of each collection related to one person, each published individually, and there were series relating to each person before they met, it was decided to describe each collection separately. Researchers should be aware that joint correspondence has been placed in Series adcns0??, and that joint publications have been placed in both collections.