Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Robert E. Hord Jr. Papers must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Robert E. Hord Jr. Papers, Ms2011-058, Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

The Robert E. Hord Jr. papers were purchased by Special Collection in May 2011. An addition to the collection was purchased in August 2011.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Robert E. Hord Jr. papers was completed in June 2011. The processing of an addition was completed in September 2011.

Biographical Note

Robert "Bobby" E. Hord Jr. was born in 1920 to Gladys Bauer Hord and Robert E. Hord Sr. in Richmond, Virginia. Robert Hord Jr. attended class at the Richmond branch of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute Engineering Extension Division from 1937 to 1939.

Hord enlisted in the Army in April of 1942 and was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion of the 302nd Ordinance Regiment. Hord completed his training at numerous bases throughout the United States including: Camp Sutton in Monroe, North Carolina; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Camp Young in Indio, California; Camp Pickett, Virginia, and Camp McCain in Mississippi. While he was serving in Mississippi, Hord received a much-anticipated transfer to Company A of the 758th Railway Shop Battalion. He spent a brief period at Camp Harrahan in New Orleans, Louisiana where the battalion was activated before being transferred to Camp Millard in Bucyrus, Ohio to complete training. In December of 1943, Hord and the rest of the 758th were sent overseas to Dibrugarh, Assam, India. Hord spent the remainder of his service in the China-Burma-India theater before returning state-side for discharge in November of 1945.

After the war, Robert Hord Jr. completed his studies at VPI receiving a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1949 and continuing to complete a Masters in Power and Fuel Engineering in 1950. Hord spent the remainder of his life living in Richmond, Virginia and channeling his love for the railroad into a successful career working for the Norfolk and Western Railroad and later, the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad. Robert Hord, Jr. died on December 13, 2010.

Additional Information about 758th Railway Battalion found here: 758th Railway Shop Battalion by David Kauffman http://militaryrailwayservice.blogspot.com/2010/01/758th-by-dave-kaufman.html retrieved June 2011.

Scope and Content

The Robert E. Hord Jr. papers have been devided into two series based upon material type. Series I consist primarily of letters written by Robert E. Hord Jr. to his parents, Robert and Gladys Hord while serving in the army during World War II. Also present are two letters written to Robert Hord Jr. by "Cousin Otto" and Al Bungardner. There are a few letters written to Robert Hord Jr.'s parents on Robert's behalf. Also included are newspapers and advertisements which were included with Robert's letters home.

The majority of the letters speak directly to Hord's mother and center around discussions of camp life and the types of equipment he is working on while serving with the 302nd Ordinance Regiment. There are extensive discussions of Hord's efforts to secure a transfer the the Railway Shop Battalion. After the transfer, the letters settle into a kind of routine discussion of interesting events in camp, the types of trains he is working on, and responses the homefront news that his mother shares with him in her letters. The letters offer a unique perspective on the war and a glimpse into camp life for soldiers stations in the China-Burma-India theater during World War II.

Series II of the collection consists of a scrapbook and loose photographs of the Hord family. Photographs include Mr. and Mrs. Granville Hord, Robert Hord's grandparents. The scrapbook includes images from the campus of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and images of the camp where Hord was stationed in India. The majority of individual photographs are unidentified.

Arrangement

The collection is divided into two series by material type. Series I includes the correspondence written by Robert Hord Jr. arranged chronologically followed by the other letters and materials which are also arranged chronologically. Series II includes the photographs and scrapbook.

Index Terms

Persons:

• Hord, Robert E., Jr., 1920-2010

Family Names:

• Hord family (Richmond, Va)

Subjects:

• Railroad
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute
• World War II