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Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute. Corps of Cadets (1896-1944)

 Organization

Administrative History

Two cadet companies were organized in 1872-73, but the Corps of Cadets was not officially established until 1891-92. The first Commandant of Cadets was General J.H. Lane, appointed in 1872. Commandants have been appointed by the Board of Visitors since that time, except for 1880-81 when the Board failed to appoint either a Commandant or a president, so the acting president appointed a senior cadet as acting Commandant. In 1966, this post was put under the Dean of Students (now Vice- President of Student Affairs). From 1908 to 1964, a president of the Corps was elected each year. This individual's primary responsibility was to serve as chairman of the Cadet Senate. The first constitution of the Corps was adopted in 1908. Both civilian and cadet units served under this single constitution until 1916 when a Unified Student Body was formed (now the Student Government Association).

For a chronological list of Corps units, under their original names, as well as lists of Commanders, Commandants, and Presidents of the Corps, see Historical Data Book 1872-1972.

Found in 4 Collections and/or Records:

Historical Photograph Collection (List of Subjects)

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: Photographs-001
Abstract

The photograph collection at Special Collections and University Archives consists primarily of historical photographs of Virginia Tech, dating back to the 1890s. The collection is also home to historic images of Blacksburg, Montgomery County, the New River Valley, and Southwest Virginia in general. A photograph collection of faculty and staff from the university is maintained separately.

Dates: c. 1890s-present

Joseph F. Ware Collection

 Collection
Identifier: Ms-2010-022
Abstract

The collection contains 102 letters from Joseph F. Ware to his wife, Susie, in Blacksburg, Virginia, while he was serving overseas during and after World War I. The other significant portion of this collection contains nearly 200 photographs.

Dates: 1900 - 1971; Majority of material found within 1915 - 1920

Dewitt Clinton Wolfe, Jr., Scrapbooks

 Collection
Identifier: Ms-2013-001
Abstract

This collection contains two scrapbooks of photographs and ephemera compiled by DeWitt Clinton Wolfe, Jr., a 1921 graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and a member of the VPI Corps of Cadets. The materials document Wolfe's experiences as a student in the Cadet Corps from about 1919 to 1921, including sporting events, camping excursions, "rat parades" and as a trumpet player in the Cadet Corps band. The collection also contains a CD with selected scanned photographs from the albums.

Dates: 1919 - 1921