This collection is arranged by material type into two series: Series I: VPI Papers and Series II: Navy & Private Business Papers.

Series I: VPI Papers, 1936-1938, contains three folders arranged by subject matter; within each topic, materials are arranged chronologically whenever possible. Materials in this series include lab reports, an exam booklet, and class notes (written on graph paper and notebooks) for various labs and lectures: hydraulics and mechanics of material lecture, machine design lab, technical English lecture, English speech lecture, machine design lecture, materials of engines lecture, and heat power lecture.

Series II: Navy & Private Business Papers, 1942-1947, contains five folders and an oversized material folder arranged by subject matter; within each topic, materials are arranged chronologically whenever possible. Materials within this series consist of Burke’s papers (such as correspondence, technical drawings, and reports) and photographs created after his college graduation that concern his personal affairs, work in the U.S. Navy engineering department during WWII, and civilian business operations. Notable items include a naval base coupon book, which contains hand-written names of a few U.S. soldiers who have died or been captured; a British insurance card for U.S. armed members overseas; correspondence concerning patenting a modification to a flight calculating device; U.S. Navy Aeronautical Engine Laboratory internal memos; a list of officer personnel; flight test reports; and a handwritten story about taking care of a young orphaned fox.

An oversized folder contains materials pertaining to Series II: Navy & Private Business Papers. Items include a blueprint of a compression sleeve drawn by Burke for Richmond Oil Equipment Co in 1947 and several documents relating to his work in the U.S. Navy: an engineering drawing of an engine; a 1943 list of Naval officers abroad; a 1942 Naval supplies contract; and an American Agency Bulletin article entitled, “Aviation will Spur Postwar Trade.” Items in this folder are arranged by material type.