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Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)Jennifer Mitchell, Archivist
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.
Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives ( specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
The collection is open for research.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Robert E. Hord, Jr., Papers, Ms2011-058, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The Robert E. Hord, Jr., Papers were purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in 2011.
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Robert E. Hord, Jr., Papers was completed in June 2011. The processing of an addition was completed in September 2011.
Robert "Bobby" E. Hord, Jr., was born in 1920 to Gladys Bauer Hord and Robert E. Hord, Sr., in Richmond, Virginia. Hord, Jr., attended class at the Richmond branch of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute Engineering Extension Division from 1937 to 1939.
Hord enlisted in the Army in April of 1942 and was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion of the 302nd Ordinance Regiment. Hord completed his training at numerous bases throughout the United States including: Camp Sutton in Monroe, North Carolina; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Camp Young in Indio, California; Camp Pickett, Virginia, and Camp McCain in Mississippi. While he was serving in Mississippi, Hord received a much-anticipated transfer to Company A of the 758th Railway Shop Battalion. He spent a brief period at Camp Harrahan in New Orleans, Louisiana where the battalion was activated before being transferred to Camp Millard in Bucyrus, Ohio to complete training. In December of 1943, Hord and the rest of the 758th were sent overseas to Dibrugarh, Assam, India. Hord spent the remainder of his service in the China-Burma-India theater before returning state-side for discharge in November of 1945.
After the war, Robert Hord, Jr., completed his studies at VPI receiving a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1949 and continuing to complete a Masters in Power and Fuel Engineering in 1950. Hord spent the remainder of his life living in Richmond, Virginia and channeling his love for the railroad into a successful career working for the Norfolk and Western Railroad and later, the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad. Robert Hord, Jr., died on December 13, 2010.
Additional Information about 758th Railway Battalion found here: 758th Railway Shop Battalion by David Kauffman, http://militaryrailwayservice.blogspot.com/2010/01/758th-by-dave-kaufman.html , retrieved June 2011.
The Robert E. Hord, Jr., Papers have been devided into two series based upon material type. Series I consist primarily of letters written by Robert E. Hord, Jr., to his parents, Robert and Gladys Hord while serving in the army during World War II. Also present are two letters written to Robert Hord, Jr. by "Cousin Otto" and Al Bungardner. There are a few letters written to Robert Hord, Jr.'s parents on Robert's behalf. Also included are newspapers and advertisements which were included with Robert's letters home.
The majority of the letters speak directly to Hord's mother and center around discussions of camp life and the types of equipment he is working on while serving with the 302nd Ordinance Regiment. There are extensive discussions of Hord's efforts to secure a transfer the the Railway Shop Battalion. After the transfer, the letters settle into a kind of routine discussion of interesting events in camp, the types of trains he is working on, and responses the homefront news that his mother shares with him in her letters. The letters offer a unique perspective on the war and a glimpse into camp life for soldiers stations in the China-Burma-India theater during World War II.
Series II of the collection consists of a scrapbook and loose photographs of the Hord family. Photographs include Mr. and Mrs. Granville Hord, Robert Hord's grandparents. The scrapbook includes images from the campus of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and images of the camp where Hord was stationed in India. The majority of individual photographs are unidentified.
The collection is divided into two series by material type.
Series I includes the correspondence written by Robert Hord, Jr., arranged chronologically followed by the other letters and materials which are also arranged chronologically.
Series II includes the photographs and scrapbook.
The guide to the Robert E. Hord, Jr., Papers by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).