John Medley (vice-chancellor) explained

Honorific Prefix:Sir
Successor1:Sir George Paton
Office1:Vice-Chancellor, University of Melbourne
Predecessor1:Sir Raymond Priestly
John Medley
Birth Date:19 April 1891
Birth Name:John Dudley Gibbs Medley
Birth Place:Oxford, England
Death Place:Harkaway, Victoria, Australia
Blank1:Awards

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

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.

Military service

Medley was commissioned in 1914 in the 6th (Glamorgan) Battalion, Welch Regiment. He later served as a railway transport officer in France and Belgium.

The University of Melbourne

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.

Legacy

In 1971, the John Medley Building at the University of Melbourne, Parkville Campus was named in Medley's honour.[2]

Medley Hall, the smallest residential college of the University of Melbourne, was named in Medley's honour in 1955.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Geoffrey Serle, 'Medley, Sir John Dudley Gibbs (Jack) (1891–1962)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/medley-sir-john-dudley-gibbs-jack-11101/text19763, published first in hardcopy 2000, accessed online 16 May 2021.
  2. Book: Goad, Philip.. Architecture on Campus : A Guide to the University of Melbourne and its Colleges. 2003. MUP. 0-522-85059-6. 800332147.
  3. Web site: University accommodation: Our history . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231028081121/https://study.unimelb.edu.au/accommodation/medley-hall/our-history . 28 October 2023 . 28 October 2023 . The University of Melbourne.