John H. Cheek Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS.0689

  • Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection is composed of one Hollinger box, containing five folders and one book, and one 11x14 Oversize Box. The first box primarily contains notes in the Japanese writing systems of Kana and Kanji. Researchers will also find correspondence from John Cheek to H.P. Scott, regarding Cheek’s English ancestors, and a copy of Vanderbilt’s 1983 Commencement program. Finally a copy of Cheek’s Ph.D. thesis from Harvard University, A Distinctive Feature Phonematic Analysis of Lower Sorbian, is contained within.

The oversize Box contains Cheek’s notes on the First Summer Institute in Chinese Civilization, geography, and Tai Chi Ch’uan as well as a photograph of his son John H. Cheek, III, as a boy. Additionally, researchers will find copies and a cover of magazines detailing the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 moon landings.

Dates

  • 1950s-1983

Biographical Notes

John Hancock Cheek, Jr. was the son of John Hancock Cheek, Sr. and Susan E. Glenn Cheek. He was born June 26, 1924. He received his B.A. from Yale University in 1950, and his M.A.(1956) and Ph.D.(1959) from Harvard University. He came to Vanderbilt University in 1958 as a teacher of Russian. Cheek helped establish the Russian language program at Vanderbilt. He was a professor of Russian, Chinese, and Linguistics at Vanderbilt’s Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages. In 1983 he was awarded the title “Emeritus” by the Board of Trust. He died at his home February 20, 2002.

Extent

2 Linear Feet (1 Hollinger, 1 Flat box)

Language of Materials

English

Japanese

Abstract

This collection contains notes in the Japanese writing systems of Kana and Kanji, correspondence from John Cheek to H.P. Scott, regarding Cheek’s English ancestors, a copy of Vanderbilt’s 1983 Commencement program, and a copy of Cheek’s Ph.D. thesis from Harvard University, A Distinctive Feature Phonematic Analysis of Lower Sorbian. Also present are Cheek’s notes on the First Summer Institute in Chinese Civilization, geography, and Tai Chi Ch’uan as well as a photograph of his son John H. Cheek, III, as a boy. There are two magazines detailing the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 moon landings.

Physical Location

Special Collections & Archives

Title
Finding Aid for the John H. Cheek Collection
Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Vanderbilt University Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Special Collections Library
1101 19th Ave. S.
Nashville TN 37212 United States


 

About this Site

This site contains collection guides, or finding aids, to the archival collections held by Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives, the History of Medicine Collection, and the Scarritt Bennett Center. Finding aids describe the context, arrangement, and structure of archival materials, allowing users to identify and request materials relevant to their research.

Requesting Materials

Each finding aid contains a link to request materials from the collections. Collections can also be requested by emailing the repository directly through the library website. Each repository has its own location, hours, and contact information. Please consult the repository with questions about using the materials. Collections are non-circulating and must be used in the repository’s reading room. In many cases, the collections are stored off-site and require advance notice for retrieval.