Dick Blok

Dirk Peter "Dick" Blok (7 January 1925 – 6 February 2019){{cite web|author= |url=http://www.dbnl.org/auteurs/auteur.php?id=blok001 |title=D.P. Blok |language=Dutch |publisher=Digital Library for Dutch Literature |date= |accessdate=18 June 2016}} was a Dutch scholar of onomastics. He was director of the Meertens Institute between 1965 and 1986. He succeeded founding director Piet Meertens.{{cite web|author=Maarten Slagboom |url=https://maartenslagboom.nl/overige/j-j-voskuils-collegas-van-het-meertens-instituut-over-de-romancyclus-het-bureau/ |title=J.J. Voskuils collega's van het Meertens Instituut over de romancyclus 'Het Bureau' |language=Dutch |publisher=Maarten Slagboom |date= 5 October 2014|accessdate=18 June 2016}} In 1979, during Blok's rule as director, the Institute was named after Meertens.{{cite web|author=Hans Bennis |url=https://www.meertens.knaw.nl/cms/files/Spelling%20Meertens%20Instituut.pdf |title="Het Meertens Instituut" Over de betekenis van de vorm |language=Dutch |publisher=Meertens Institute |date=October 2009 |accessdate=18 June 2016}} Blok fictionally featured in the book cycle {{Interlanguage link multi|Het Bureau|nl}} by J. J. Voskuil, which was based on figures at the Meertens Institute, where Voskuil worked as well.

Blok was born in Oegstgeest. He studied Medieval history at the University of Amsterdam, where he obtained a degree in 1953. In 1960 he earned his doctorate cum laude at the same university under J.F. Niermeyer with a thesis titled Een diplomatisch onderzoek van de oudste particuliere oorkonden van Werden.{{cite web|author= |url=http://albumacademicum.uva.nl/id/id001255 |title=Prof. dr. D.P. Blok, 1925 - |language=Dutch |publisher=University of Amsterdam |date= |accessdate=18 June 2016}} Blok had a long teaching career at the University of Amsterdam on the topic of settlement history related to the onomastics of place names, first a teaching assignment from 1967 to 1976, and subsequently as extraordinary lector (1976–1980), extraordinary professor (1980–1986) and finally as full professor from 1986 to 1990, when he took up emeritus status. He died on 6 February 2019, aged 94.{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.mensenlinq.nl/overlijdensberichten/profdr-dp-dick-blok-8190794 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222211727/https://www.mensenlinq.nl/overlijdensberichten/profdr-dp-dick-blok-8190794 |title=Overlijdensbericht Prof.dr. D.P. (Dick) Blok |publisher=Mensenlinq.nl |date= |archive-date=22 February 2019}}{{cite web|author=Jan Berns |url=https://www.neerlandistiek.nl/2019/02/professor-dr-d-p-blok-7-januari-1925-6-februari-2019/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220002737/https://www.neerlandistiek.nl/2019/02/professor-dr-d-p-blok-7-januari-1925-6-februari-2019/ |title=In memoriam D.P. (Dick) Blok, 7 januari 1925- 6 februari 2019 |language=Dutch |publisher=Neerlandistiek |date=13 February 2019 |archive-date=20 February 2019}}

Blok was elected a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1984.{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.knaw.nl/en/members/members/3888 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160618192031/https://www.knaw.nl/en/members/members/3888 |title=Dick Blok |publisher=Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences |date= |archive-date=18 June 2016 |accessdate=18 June 2016}}