Archives West Finding Aid
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Agnes Mero Plenk photograph collection, 1990
Overview of the Collection
- Photographer
- Miles, Kent, 1950-
- Title
- Agnes Mero Plenk photograph collection
- Dates
- 1990 (inclusive)19901990
- Quantity
- 1 box
- Collection Number
- P1171
- Summary
- Agnes Mero Plenk (1916-2011) was a child psychologist and founder of the Children's Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Agnes Mero Plenk photograph collection contains a portrait of Plenk and 4 contact sheets taken by Kent Miles Photography in 1990 for a series called "Women We Admire."
- Repository
-
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860
Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Agnes “Agi” Mero Plenk was born in 1916 in Budapest, Hungary; however, when she was three-years-old the family moved to Yugoslavia to escape political upheaval, and then to Vienna, Austria in 1922. As a student in Vienna, she met and married Henry Plenk. In 1938, the couple immigrated as refugees from Nazi Austria to the United States, leaving their families behind. Agnes Plenk’s parents were able to follow them in 1941.
Agnes and Henry Plenk first settled in Chicago, where Henry completed medical school at Northwestern University while Agi supported them through work as a secretary, switchboard operator, and research assistant at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. From this final job, Agnes Plenk decided to pursue psychology. She studied psychology at Northwestern University, completing both her B.A. and Master’s degree. The Plenks became United States citizens in 1944; soon after, Henry was drafted into the United States Army Medical Corps and served in the European theater of World War II.
After Henry Plenk returned from his military service, he accepted a job in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1947. The couple joined the Unitarian Church and together had three children. Agatha Plenk began working as a child psychologist, evaluating children for the State Industrial School, the Utah Department of Social Services, and Neighborhood House. Agatha continued her education at the University of Utah, earning a Ph.D. in psychology in 1967.
In 1952, the Plenks moved to Holladay, Utah, where they helped create the Cottonwood Club and the Holladay Community Church. In 1963, Agatha Plenk founded the Children’s Center to address what she observed as the growing need for preschool education and care for children with emotional struggles. The Children’s Center combined group and play therapy for children. Agatha Plenk served as Executive Director for the Children’s Center until retiring in 1986; in her retirement, she wrote books about her experience founding the Children’s Center and her treatment methods. Plenk also taught as an adjust professor at the University of Utah.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Agnes Mero Plenk photograph collection contains 49 black-and-white images of Plenk outside the Children's Center and in her office. The collection consists of 1 box containing 1 portrait and 4 contact sheets with 48 images of Plenk. The portraits were taken by Salt Lake City photographer Kent Miles in 1990 as part of a series called "Women We Admire."
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from the Agnes Mero Plenk photograph collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator.
Preferred Citation
Initial Citation: Agnes Mero Plenk photograph collection, P1171, Box [ ]. Special Collections and Archives. University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library. Salt Lake City, Utah.
Following Citations: P1171.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Arranged by subject
Acquisition Information
Donated by Agi Mero Plenk in 2005.
Processing Note
Processed by Special Collections staff.
Separated Materials
See also the Agnes Mero Plenk papers (ACCN 1585) in the Manuscripts Division of Special Collections.
Related Materials
Forms part of the Aileen H. Clyde 20th Century Women's Legacy Archive.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | |
| 1 | 1 | Portraits of Agnes "Women we Admire" |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Personal Names
- Plenk, Agnes M.
Corporate Names
- Children's Center
Form or Genre Terms
- black-and-white prints (photographs)
