Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Samuel Davis Preston Papers must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Samuel Davis Preston Papers, Ms1972-003, Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

The Samuel Davis Preston Papers were donated to Special Collections in 1972.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Samuel Davis Preston Papers commenced and was completed in June, 2011.

Biographical Note

Samuel Davis Preston was born on May 8, 1892 in Bedford County, Virginia. He attended the University of South Carolina for two years before before serving as a lieutenant in World War I. Following the war, Davis attended Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech), graduating with a degree in animal science in 1923. Among his other activities while at Virginia Tech, Preston served as president of the Hoof and Horn Club and vice-president of the Maury Literary Society. Following graduation, Preston was employed by the university's Extension Division and moved to the Winchester, Virginia area. Later, he worked for American Cyanamide, as the company's international sales manager. From 1952 to 1960, he served on Virginia Tech's board of visitors and remained active in community organizations throughout his life. Samuel Preston died in Winchester on March 13, 1975.

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains personal papers and memorabilia of Samuel D. Preston, a 1923 graduate of Virginia Tech and member of the university's board of visitors from 1952 to 1960. The collection includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, awards, and photographs.

The correspondence in the collection is largely congratulatory in nature and includes a 1956 letter from Virginia Governor Thomas B. Stanley reappointing Preston to the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. The folder also includes a copy of a 1917 telegram appointing Preston a second lieutenant in the Infantry Section Officers Reserve Corps. A small set of newspaper clippings in the collection relates largely to various awards and honors bestowed on Preston in his later years. Many of these awards and honors are also in the collection, in the form of certificates, resolutions, and plaques. The collection is completed by a small group of photographs of Preston, many of which were apparently taken while he was on a business trip to Buenos Aires in 1955.

Index Terms

Subjects:

• Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Local Subjects:

• University Archives