Virginia Military Institute - Bomb Yearbook (Lexington, VA)

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His Excellency, Harry Flood Byrd (GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA) Commander-in-Chief Board of Visitors Captain Montgomery B. Corse Lexington, Va. Mr. Harry H. Holt Hampton, Va. Mr. J. O. Winston Richmond, Va. Colonel Joseph Button Richmond, Va. Mr. Roy W. Sexton Wytheville, Va. Mr. Robert W. Massie Lynchburg, Va. Mr. Thomas R. Keith Fairfax, Va. Mr. W. W. Boxley Roanoke, Va. Dr. R. Bruce James Danville, Va. Members of Board Ex-Officio General W. W. Sale Hon. Harris Hart A djutant-G ' encral of Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction

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I n. ITH the addition to barracks completed, Alumni Athletic Field in constant use, and the largest gymnasium in the South under construction, V. M. I. men see one of their most cherished dreams materializing. The establishment of four R. O. T. C. Units, the steady and far-seeing policy of raising the academic standards, and the improvements, material and otherwise, that are being made each year — all these things are a sure indication that the Greater V. M. I. is becoming a reality. V. M. I. is being developed on a broad general plan, which was created by the Alumni Asso- ciation. The razing of the old Francis H. Smith Academic building and its incorporation into barracks to complete the quadrangle, the northwest wing of which is now Alumni Hall, is a part of this plan of development. This includes the interior remodeling of barracks, which will result in three years in a modern barracks, inside and outside. Alumni Field, a memorial to the V. M. I. men who fell in the World War, is a part of the plan of development, as are the Jackson Hall and Scott Shipp academic building, erected within recent years. The new gymna- sium, now well under way, with ample space for indoor sports, athletic offices, and engineering laboratories, is the latest evidence to be submitted in proof of the fact that the Greater V. M. I. is growing before our eyes. Sites near barracks have been reserved as locations for educational buildings to be built when needed. An Engineering Building will be built below the parapet, and a new Administration Building is provided for on the plan. Eventually quarters for all officers of the Institute will be provided, and as a step toward this end four houses in Limits have already been purchased and are being occupied by officers and their families. In the course of time the present barracks will probably be doubled in size. The Corps of Cadets has increased from 33 in 1839 to 670 in 1925-26, and the desirable number is estimated at about 700. To accommodate this number, with two cadets to a room, barracks will of necessity be much larger than it is at present. The enlargement of barracks will necessitate in- creasing the size of the parade ground, and property for this purpose has already been pur- chased. Any change in barracks will be made without affecting Alumni Hall, which has made one of the greatest appeals to alumni. This wing of barracks provides ample accommodations for alumni, when they visit the Institute, and enables them to feel that once again they are part of the life of V. M. I. Other buildings to be erected in the more distant future, each to be a further step toward the Greater V. M. I., are a spacious riding hall, new stables, gun sheds, and post exchange. All of these changes are, and will continue to be merely the more tangible aspects of the Greater V. M. I. The intangible aspects are even more important and will play just as great a part in the life of the Institute of the future as they have played in the past. For the Greater V. M. I. will be greater, not only because of finer buildings, a larger Corps, and a broader curriculum; it will be a Greater V. M. I. because 06 its influence on the men who choose it as their Alma Mater, because of its prestige, and because it is, and will ever be, an invaluable asset to the nation, not only in time of war, but also in time of peace.