Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Business Number: 540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu
URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu
Betsy Reed, Graduate Assistant, and Kira A. Dietz, Archivist
Administrative Information
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], Garland D. Kite Correspondence, Ms1987-038, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
Source of Acquisition
The Garland D. Kite Correspondence collection was acquired by Special Collections in 1987.
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Garland D. Kite Correspondence was completed in September 2013.
Biographical Note
Garland D. Kite was a native of Culpeper, Virginia, and a student at Virginia Polytechnic Institute in the 1930s. He was a Major in the United States Army and served in Europe during World War II.
Ralph Brown was the head librarian of Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) from 1926 to 1947. He was originally born in Fort Shaw, Montana, in 1878. He was an ambulance driver during World War I. He also worked as an editor for Rand McNally and Popular Mechanics before coming to work at VPI. The accomplishment he was best known for as head librarian at VPI was his compilation of the V.P.I Historical Index, 1872-1942 . Among other things, he was a book collector and an amateur naturalist.
Scope and Content
This collection contains letters from Major Garland D. Kite to Ralph M. Brown. Kite wrote the letters while serving in Europe during World War II. The letters detail Kite's experiences during 1944 and 1945 when he was stationed in England, France, and Germany. They follow Kite through the end of the war, and the final letters in the collection find him waiting with his unit to take a ship back to the U.S.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Blacksburg (Va.)
- Montgomery County (Va.)
- Students and alumni
- University History
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute (1944-1970)
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (1970-)
- World War, 1939-1945
Rights Statement for Archival Description
The guide to the Garland D. Kite Correspondence by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).
Significant Persons Associated With the Collection
- Brown, Ralph Minthorne, 1878-1958
- Kite, Garland D.