Clarence Edward Beeby (16 June 1902 – 10 March 1998), most commonly referred to as C.E. Beeby or simply Beeb, was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

educationalist and psychologist. He was influential in the development of the

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

system in New Zealand, first as a director of the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (

NZCER The New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) is an independent, educational research organisation that provides educators, students, parents, policy makers, and the public with innovative and independent research, analysis, and advice ...

) from 1936, and then as Director of Education (head of the Ministry of Education) from 1940, initially under the

First Labour Government The first MacDonald ministry of the United Kingdom lasted from January to November 1924. The Labour Party, under Ramsay MacDonald, had failed to win the general election of December 1923, with 191 seats, although the combined Opposition tall ...

. He also served as

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

executive. Beeby's wife

Beatrice Beatrice may refer to: * Beatrice (given name) Places In the United States * Beatrice, Alabama, a town * Beatrice, Humboldt County, California, a locality * Beatrice, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Beatrice, Indiana, an unincorporated ...

was one of the founders of the New Zealand

Playcentre Playcentre is an early childhood education and parenting organisation which operates parent-led early childhood education centres throughout New Zealand and offers parents the opportunity to gain a Certificate in ''Early Childhood and Adult Educat ...

movement, and his son was the distinguished New Zealand diplomat and international lawyer,

Chris Beeby Christopher David Beeby (October 1935 – 19 March 2000) was a New Zealand diplomat who held several ambassadorships and was involved in international litigation and negotiations, notably over Antarctic resources. Beeby was New Zealand's ambassa ...

, portrayed in Ben Affleck's film, ''

Argo In Greek mythology the ''Argo'' (; in Greek: ) was a ship built with the help of the gods that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The ship has gone on to be used as a motif in a variety of sour ...

''.

Early life and education

Beeby was born in Meanwood,

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, and immigrated with his family to New Zealand in 1906. He was educated at New Brighton School and Christchurch Boys' High School, and initially studied law at Canterbury College, before switching to

Christchurch Training College Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

to study primary teaching. Beeby met Beatrice Newnham while they were both undergraduate students and they were married in 1926. Beeby gained an MA in 1924, with a thesis titled ''The psychology of laughter and the comic''. and had been working as a part-time lecturer during the latter part of his studies. He worked for a PhD at Victoria University of Manchester, under the tutelage of Charles Spearman. Spearman's belief in a strong hereditary component to intelligence was to influence Beeby's later educational beliefs. Beeby was not fond of his given names, and elected from an early age to be known by his surname.

Career

On returning from England, Beeby worked as a lecturer and then acting professor at Canterbury College, before taking up the position of director of NZCER. During this time, he developed a belief that all students had a right to continuing education, not just the most academically gifted. During this period, Beeby was noticed by

Peter Fraser Peter Fraser (; 28 August 1884 – 12 December 1950) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand Lab ...

, the Minister of Education, and in 1939 was appointed Assistant Director of Education. Beeby became Director of Education just prior to Fraser's ascension to

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

. After leaving the Ministry of Education, he served as Ambassador to France from 1960 to 1963, and also was assistant director-general for

. Following the end of this term, he held positions at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and the Institute of Education

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. In 1968 he returned to New Zealand, and continued to play an active role as researcher and consultant in both New Zealand and overseas. Beeby had a close working relationship with

Bill Renwick William Leslie Renwick (8 January 1929 – 29 June 2013) was a New Zealand educationalist. He was educated in Northland and Auckland before training as a teacher at Auckland Teachers' Training College. After working as a teacher and gaining a ...

, Director-General of Education from 1975 to 1987, and the two reviewed and discussed each other's work. Renwick wrote ''Portrait of a Reforming Director'' for ''The Beeby Fascicles'', presented to Beeby on his 90th birthday, and described Beeby as "his most thoughtful and constructive critic".

Honours and awards

Beeby was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du couronnement de la Reine Élizabeth II) is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded a ...

in 1953. In the 1956 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

, and in 1964 he was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Gregory the Great. On 6 February 1987, Beeby was the second appointee to the

Order of New Zealand The Order of New Zealand is the highest honour in the New Zealand royal honours system, created "to recognise outstanding service to the Crown and people of New Zealand in a civil or military capacity". It was instituted by royal warrant on 6 F ...

, New Zealand's highest civilian honour."The Order of New Zealand" (12 February 1987) 20 '' New Zealand Gazette'' 705 at 709. In 1990, he was awarded the

New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal The New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal was a commemorative medal awarded in New Zealand in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and was awarded to approximately 3,000 people. Background The New Zea ...

. He received honorary doctorates from the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

, University of Otago, and

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

References

External links

Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
entry. *The New Zealand Oxford English Dictionary. *Beeby, C.E. (1992) ''The Biography of an Idea''. Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research. emoir*Renwick, William L.
Clarence Edward Beeby
. On the UNESCO website ''Thinkers on Education''. Originally published in ''Prospects: the quarterly review of comparative education'', XXVIII, no. 2, June 1998, p. 335-348. {{DEFAULTSORT:Beeby, C. E. 1902 births 1998 deaths Harvard University staff New Zealand public servants New Zealand educators Ambassadors of New Zealand to France People from Meanwood UNESCO officials English emigrants to New Zealand University of Canterbury alumni New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Members of the Order of New Zealand People educated at Christchurch Boys' High School New Zealand officials of the United Nations New Zealand educational theorists Christchurch College of Education alumni