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], J. A. Burke, Jr., Collection, Ms2010-076, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

This collection was purchased by Special Collections in 2009.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the J. A. Burke, Jr., Collection was completed in October 2010.

Biographical Note

Jerry Allen Burke, Jr. grew up in Appomattox, Virginia. His parents were Jerry Allen Burke Sr. and Ethel Abbitt; he had two siblings. In 1938, Burke earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering with a focus in aeronautical engineering from Virginia Tech. In 1942, Burke worked for the U.S. Navy at the Aeronautical Engine Laboratory of the Naval Air Experimental Station in the Naval Air Materials Center in Philadelphia, PA. Prior to this Navy work, he was an engineering expert for the Royal Insurance Company in New York. After WWII, Burke continued to work in engineering as an engineering expert for various insurance companies. In 1946, he invented a modification to a flight calculating device originally invented by George N. Butterfield. Burke patented another invention in 1976 with John Gordon Davoud: a condensing vapor heat engine with a two-phase compression and constant volume superheating. Burke lived in Richmond, Virginia, in his later years.

Scope and Content

This collection contains materials dated from 1936-1938 and 1942-1947 relating to Jerry Allen Burke, Jr. Materials include photographs, technical drawings, reports, notes, and other papers pertaining to Burke's time as an engineering undergraduate student at Virginia Tech as well as his work for the U.S. Navy during WWII and other private business ventures.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by material type into two series: Series I: VPI Papers and Series II: Navy & Private Business Papers.

Series I: VPI Papers , 1936-1938, contains three folders arranged by subject matter; within each topic, materials are arranged chronologically whenever possible. Materials in this series include lab reports, an exam booklet, and class notes (written on graph paper and notebooks) for various labs and lectures: hydraulics and mechanics of material lecture, machine design lab, technical English lecture, English speech lecture, machine design lecture, materials of engines lecture, and heat power lecture.

Series II: Navy & Private Business Papers , 1942-1947, contains five folders and an oversized material folder arranged by subject matter; within each topic, materials are arranged chronologically whenever possible. Materials within this series consist of Burke's papers (such as correspondence, technical drawings, and reports) and photographs created after his college graduation that concern his personal affairs, work in the U.S. Navy engineering department during WWII, and civilian business operations. Notable items include a naval base coupon book, which contains hand-written names of a few U.S. soldiers who have died or been captured; a British insurance card for U.S. armed members overseas; correspondence concerning patenting a modification to a flight calculating device; U.S. Navy Aeronautical Engine Laboratory internal memos; a list of officer personnel; flight test reports; and a handwritten story about taking care of a young orphaned fox.

An oversized folder contains materials pertaining to Series II: Navy & Private Business Papers. Items include a blueprint of a compression sleeve drawn by Burke for Richmond Oil Equipment Co in 1947 and several documents relating to his work in the U.S. Navy: an engineering drawing of an engine; a 1943 list of Naval officers abroad; a 1942 Naval supplies contract; and an American Agency Bulletin article entitled, "Aviation will Spur Postwar Trade." Items in this folder are arranged by material type.

Related Material

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Directory of Living Alumni 1970 (LD 5655 A751 V57a 1970 VPI Spec)

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Science and Technology
• Students and alumni
• University History
• Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (1896-1944)

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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