Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to research.

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.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Alfred C. Payne Collection, Ms2006-009, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Alfred C. Payne Collection was donated to Special Collections and University Archives in two accessions, in 2004 and 2006.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Alfred C. Payne Collection commenced in January, 2025, and was completed in April, 2025.

Biographical / Historical

Alfred Cook "Al" Payne, son of Earnest Silas Payne and Minnie Othello Donahoe, was born in Cartersville, Georgia, on February 21, 1916. After graduating from Cartersville High School, he obatined a BS in general science at Clemson University in 1938.

Following graduation, Payne accepted a position as assistant secretary of the YMCA at Texas A. & M. University. In 1941, he married Virginia Virle Crow (1917-2014); the couple would have two daughters.

During World War II, Payne served as a captain of infantry in the European Theatre of Operations and participated in the liberation of Paris, earning five battle stars and the Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster.

Following his military service, Payne attended Yale University Divinity School, receiving a bachelor's of divinity in religion and higher education in 1946. That same year, he was named associate secretary of the YMCA at Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) and was ordained at Blacksburg Baptist Church the following year.

In 1949, Payne accepted a position with the YMCA at the University of Pittsburgh, and from 1951 to 1953, he took postgraduate courses in philosophy at the university. Payne returned to Virginia Tech in 1958, succeeding Paul Derring as secretary of the YMCA. He was appointed assistant to the dean of students in 1964 and later as counselor for relgious affairs. Among his duties during this time, Payne was responsible for supervision of the Memorial Chapel, coordination of campus religious programs, and serving as a liaison with off-campus churches and clergy.

A popular public speaker, Payne was frequently called upon for invocations, benedictions and blessings, as well as remarks at campus and local events. He formally retired from the university in 1981 but continued to be very active on campus and in various community and civic organizations. In 1987, he published a collection of his campus prayers in A University at Prayer , followed by A Community at Prayer in 1993. He also wrote a number of essays for various publications and hundreds of published book reviews. In 1993, Virginia Tech recognized his service by naming Payne Hall in his honor.

Alfred C. Payne died in Blacksburg in 2003.

Biographical / Historical

Virginia Virle Crow, daughter of Edward E. Crow and Emmie Johnson, was born in Fairforest, South Carolina, on April 2, 1917. Best known by her middle name, Crow graduated from Fairforest High School. She earned a BS degree at Winthrop College in 1938, and took graduate courses at the University of Tennessee in 1939. Later that year, she joined the faculty of Anderson College (Anderson, South Carolina) as director of the home economics department. Evidence in this collection suggests that Cook continued to work at Anderson through 1941, the year she married Alfred C. Payne. The couple would have two children.

In 1960, Virle Payne accepted a position at Virginia Tech as an instructor in clothing, textiles and related art, and she earned an MS at Virginia Tech in 1962. She continued to work at Virginia Tech until 1967, when she joined the faculty at Radford College (now Radford University), where she served as assistant director of home economics and directed the preschool before retiring in the 1980s.

Virle Payne died in Blacksburg, Virginia, on January 22, 2014.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains the papers of Alfred Cook Payne (1916-2003), who served as assistant to the dean of students and counselor for religious affairs at Virginia Tech from 1964 to 1981. Included are biographical materials, correspondence, and photographs documenting various aspects of Payne's life and career, together with a small set of papers from Virginia Virle Payne, his wife; materials relating to the many prayers and addresses that Alfred Payne delivered in public; a collection of his writings and working files relating to his two published collections of prayers; and files on various individuals, organizations, and topics. Content Warning: This collection contains materials gathered by Payne during his World War II military service that users may find distressing or offensive, including symbols and propaganda associated with the Nazi regime and atrocities committed during the war. Please engage with the materials at your discretion (materials are also noted at the series level in this finding aid).

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in the following series:

Series I. Personal Papers, 1917-2003: Included in this series are materials that document the lives and careers of Alfred and Virle Payne. The series is divided into two subseries: Subseries A contains papers relating to Alfred Payne and includes such materials as biographical sketches, certificates and tributes; general personal correspondence; press clippings; and photographs. Apart from the biographical sketches, filed at the beginning of the subseries, and the correspondence and photographs gathered at the end, the subseries is arranged alphabetically. Subseries B relates to Virle Payne's early life, focusing largely on her academic activities from high school through Winthrop College and postgraduate work at the University of Tennessee, as well as her brief employment at Anderson College and her involvement with Baptist Student Union. The subseries, arranged alphabetically, contains correspondence, reports, programs, and ephemera.

Series II. Public Addresses, 1946-2003: Materials in this series relate to Payne's many spiritual orations, including benedictions, blessings and graces, invocations, and general prayers delivered at athletic events, memorial services, building dedications, and many other public events; as well as general public remarks. Many of the files include the texts and/or drafts of Payne's orations. Many also include background notes and information about the people or organizations for which the address was delivered and programs for the events at which they were delivered. Some of the files document specific events at which Payne spoke, other files are broader, grouping similar events together under a broad heading (e.g., "Basketball Games"). The series is generally arranged alphabetically, but unidentified addresses are gathered under general headings at the end of the series.

Series III. Writings, 1945-2003: This series includes working papers (notes, drafts, correspondence) relating to Payne's two books, A University at Prayer and A Community at Prayer , as well as additional projects that never reached publication. Also included are a collection of typescript drafts of pieces that were later published and papers intended for distribution but not publication. The series concludes with a large collection of book reviews--both typescript drafts and published pieces--written by Payne.

Series IV. Subject Files, 1929-2003: Arranged alphabetically, this series documents many subjects in which Payne had a personal interest, including individuals and organizations with which he had a personal connection; or that he gathered as supporting materials when composing his own works. The series is arranged alphabetically by topic. Content Warning: This collection contains materials gathered by Payne during his World War II military service that users may find distressing or offensive, including symbols and propaganda associated with the Nazi regime and images of atrocities committed during the war. Specific materials, such as a swastika armband, images of Adolf Hitler, and photographs of corpses may be distressing or offensive to users. Please engage with the materials at your discretion.

Separated Material

The following item was removed from the collection to be cataloged for the Rare Book Collection:

History, V Corps [S.l.: s.n., 1945] (cover title: "V Corps Operations in the E T O, 6 Jan. 1942 - 9 May 1945")

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Faculty and staff
• Religion
• University History
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute (1944-1970)
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (1970-)

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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