Albert Chappell papers.

Albert Bygrave Chappell (1872-1942) was born in Portsmouth, England in 1872. His family moved to New Zealand in 1881 settling in Tauranga. Chappell attended Canterbury University College, completing an MA in political science in 1904. In 1894 Chappell entered the ministry of the Wesleyan Church and held appointments in Wellington, Auckland, Fielding, Whanganui and New Plymouth, before becoming the Registrar of Auckland University College (AUC) in 1917. The appointment of Chappell, a keen tennis player, debater and Scout master, was well received by AUC students who appreciated that he took an active interest in many College clubs and encouraged ‘a genuine College spirit.’ In 1919 Chappell completed a diploma in journalism, the first to be awarded by the University of New Zealand. Chappell resigned as Registrar in 1923 to further his interest in journalism; writing for the New Zealand Herald until his retirement in 1941. In addition to his long association with the Methodist Church, Chappell was a member of a number of school boards, and a tutor with the Workers Educational Association (WEA).

Chappell married Mary Elizabeth McKinney in 1908, the couple had three daughters and three sons. Chappell died in Auckland in August 1942.

Also see: New Zealand, Who's Who in New Zealand and the Western Pacific, 1925.