The collection is open for research.
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Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: William F. Drumeller, Jr., Collection, Ms2013-007, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The William F. Drumeller, Jr. Collection was purchased by Special Collections in November 2012, August 2015, November 2019, August 2020, and April 2024.
The processing, arrangement, and description of the William F. Drumeller, Jr., Collection was completed in February 2013. Additional materials were integrated in 2020 and description updated in 2023. Additional materials were integrated in 2024 and description updated in 2024.
William F. Drumeller, Jr., was born January 23, 1923, to William and Elizabeth Drumeller. Studying as a civil engineer, Drumeller attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute as a cadet from 1942-1943 and 1946-1949, taking a leave of absence in 1943 to fight in the U. S. Army during World War II, rising to the rank of Sergeant and earning a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He worked as a civil engineer with CSX Railway. Drumeller died March 25, 2006, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
External sources:
"Sgt William F. Drumeller Jr.", Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15782743/william-f-drumeller, accessed July 5, 2023.
Obituary for William F. Drumeller Jr.,
The collection includes Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) publications, school papers (including notes and notebooks), ephemera, painting, and photographs of William F. Drumeller, Jr., a civil engineering student and cadet at VPI from 1942-1943 and 1946-1949. The majority of the collection consists of student notebooks and paper relating to math and engineering courses. Publications and ephemera were collected by him during his tenure as a student and, presumably, as an alumni.
The collection also consists of materials from his time as an engineer in West Virginia. The reports, studies, correspondences, and notes provide insight into the railway and coal industries in southern West Virginia. One report describes surface coal mining, also known as mountaintop removal.
The collection is arranged into two series:
Series I: Student Work and Notebooks includes academic records, drawings, notebooks, course work, and lectures notes, relating to Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) engineering, math, and physics courses taken by William F. Drumeller, Jr., in the 1940s.
Series II: Personal Papers includes alumni materials, photographs, VPI memorabilia, an engineering report for Norfolk & Western, an ROTC manual, correspondences, newspaper clippings, rental lease, and a resume.
Series III: Professional papers includes materials related to his professional engineering work, primarily with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. These include agreements, leases, contracts, bills, organization charts of C&O, correspondences, notes, design drawings, and reports and studies. The reports and studies includes a list of items, and many of the pieces focus on the Kanawha Valley and James River in southern West Virginia. Another report is a study on surface coal mining, also known as mountaintop removal mining. His papers provide insight on the coal mining and railway industries in the mid- to late twentieth century.
See the ,VPI Poster by William F. Drumeller, Jr., also at Virginia Tech Special Collections and University Archives in the Art Collection.
The guide to the William F. Drumeller, Jr., Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).