The collection includes research files, personal notes, audio recordings, videocassettes, photographs, and publications collected by engineer and professor Earl A. Thornton on the fields of aviation, aeronautics, and aerospace.

This collection contains the papers of John Edward Williams (1867-1943), professor of mathematics (1903-1924) and Dean of the College (1924-1943) at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Materials include class notes taken by Williams as a graduate student at the University of Virginia; notes and solutions for various mathematical problems; texts of Williams' speeches; printed articles by Williams and others; and diplomas and membership certificates.