Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

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.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Rudolph Dixon Michael Papers, Ms1960-005, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Rudolph Dixon Michael Papers were donated to Newman Library in two accessions in 1960 and 1988.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Rudolph Dixon Michael Papers occurred in January 2004.

Biographical Note

Rudolph Dixon Michael, Virginia Tech alumnus and agricultural information editor, was born in Berwick, Pennsylvania on January 14, 1904. The son of William Ellis and Laura McHenry Michael, he graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) in 1926 with a degree in agricultural engineering. (He would later also obtain a degree from Kansas State University.) An active student, Michael was a member of the basketball team and several clubs; he also served as editor of the student newspaper and as president of the senior class.

Michael became an English instructor at Virginia Tech in 1928, while also serving as an assistant in publications. In 1930, he became director of broadcasting and assistant agricultural editor of the Agricultural Extension Division. In 1943, he was promoted to agricultural editor, a position from which he retired in 1965.

Michael served on the Blacksburg Town Council for ten years and later in life served as chairman of the VPI-Blacksburg Sanitation Authority. He was a member of several community organizations and a deacon at Blacksburg Baptist Church. Michael and his wife, Mary Spiggle Michael, had two daughters. He died January 5, 1994.

Scope and Content

This collection contains the papers of Virginia Tech alumnus and agricultural information editor Rudolph Dixon Michael. The collection includes a small group of correspondence, much of which dates from 1929 to 1930, and concerns the Preston family, Smithfield Plantation, and the university's effort to restore the cemetery there. The correspondence is complemented by a number of notes and essays regarding the history of Blacksburg, the Preston family, Smithfield Plantation, and Whitethorne; and maps of Smithfield Plantation, its landscaping, and the cemetery. The collection also contains a small group of printed materials relating to Virginia Tech, including a commencement program and pictorial calendar from 1926, a booklet for a 1929 alumni celebration (including biographical material on Julian Burruss and an overview of his administration), and an informational booklet on the Blacksburg-VPI Sanitation Authority. Three large photographs of campus scenes are also included, as well as reproductions of the Virginia Tech seal and Phi Kappa Phi charter certificate.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by document type, then chronologically.

Separated Material

The following item was transferred to the Rare Book Collection:

Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Regulations for the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 1922. [Blacksburg, Va. : The Institute, 1922]. (Spec/VPI LD5655 A3 R43 1922)

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Blacksburg (Va.)
• Faculty and staff
• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
• Montgomery County (Va.)
• Politicians -- United States
• Preston family (Montgomery County, Va.)
• Smithfield Plantation House (Blacksburg, Va.)
• University History
• Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (1896-1944)
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute (1944-1970)
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (1970-)

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Rudolph Dixon Michael Papers by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).