Richard L. Irby collection

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Military Institute Archives
Preston Library
Virginia Military Institute
345 Letcher Ave.
Lexington, VA 24450-0304
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Jeffrey S. Kozak
Phone: (540) 464-7516
Phone: (540) 464-7566
Fax: (540) 464-7089
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions

Terms of access:

Manuscript collections in the VMI Archives are made available for educational and research use. The VMI Archives should be cited as the source. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any copyright holders. Materials from our collections may not be redistributed, published or reproduced without permission from the VMI Archives. Contact the VMI Archives for additional information.

Preferred citation:

Richard L. Irby collection, 1939-1971. MS 0509. VMI Archives, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
10 cubic feet 8 boxes, plus unboxed framed items and albums/scrapbooks
Creator:
Irby, Richard L. (Richard Logan), 1918-2002
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Richard L. Irby collection, 1939-1971. MS 0509. VMI Archives, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of correspondence and memoranda, military orders, printed material, photographs, scrapbooks, speeches, and other material primarily documenting the United States Army career (1939-1971) of Major General Richard L. Irby. The collection also includes information about the activities of of the 1st Cavalry Division during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

This series consists of memoranda, correspondence, military orders, and other documents from Richard L. Irby's military career. The material begins with his commissioning as a 2nd Lieutenant and ends with his retirement in 1971.

Photos, slides, and photograph albums from Richard L. Irby's military career. Topics include:

  • Korean War (1st Cavalry Division, 5th Cavalry Regiment)
  • Vietnam War (1st Cavalry Division)
  • Fort Riley, Kansas (1942-1945)
  • Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) camps (1949-1950)
  • Tokyo and Chejudo, Japan (1950-1951)
  • Hokkaido, Japan (1951-1952)
  • Fort Hood, Texas (1950-1953)
  • 3rd Armored Division (Frankfort, Germany, late 1950s)
  • Fort Rucker, Alabama (1967)
  • Fort Knox, Kentucky
  • Fort Lewis
Also included are official portraits and other images.

Various statistics, reports, and chronologies of operational events. Notes are both hand written and typed.

Biographical / historical:

Richard Logan Irby (1918-2002) had a distinguished career in the United States Army and subsequently served as the VMI's tenth Superintendent. A native of Blackstone, Virginia, Irby graduated from VMI in 1939 with a degree in civil engineering. He commissioned in the cavalry branch of the United States Army. He was a decorated veteran of three wars and twice the recipient of the Silver Star for gallantry in combat.

Following the completion of his military career, Irby served as Superintendent of VMI from 1971 to 1981. He retired from VMI in 1981, and continued to live in Lexington, Virginia until his death on March 6, 2002.

The Executive Headquarters was established in Peiping (Peking), China on January 11, 1946 by order of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, as a tripartite organization of the Chinese Nationalist Government, the Chinese Communist Party, and the United States Government.

Processing information:

This collection is open to research, but has been minimally processed. There is no detailed item/folder inventory. Contact the VMI Archives for assistance with a specific request related to this collection.

Physical location:
Manuscripts stacks