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Temple, Harry Downing

 Person

Biographical Note

Harry Downing Temple was born in Elizabeth City County (now Hampton), Virginia, on October 24, 1911, and reared in Petersburg, Virginia. He attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute as a member of the Corps of Cadets from 1930 to 1934, and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering. He served as a professional officer of the U.S. Army and participated in World War II and the Korean War, rising to the rank of Colonel. From 1961 to 1966 he headed the Army's Institute of Heraldry, and designed the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He retired from the Army in 1966. Colonel Temple died in 2004. Temple began his research for a book about the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets in the mid-1970s, and retired to Blacksburg, Virginia, in 1988, to be closer to the archival materials necessary for his research.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Harry Downing Temple Jr., Papers

 Collection
Identifier: Ms-1988-039
Abstract

The Harry Downing Temple, Jr., Papers contains materials related to Temple's personal life, interest in heraldry and insignia, and his research and publications on the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. Materials date from about 1872 to 2004.

Dates: 1872 - 2004; Majority of material found within 1930 - 2001