Virginia Military Institute - Bomb Yearbook (Lexington, VA)

Page 31 text:

•♦ (OLONEL mm A. mmwm colonel withers a. bu ess First captain of tlie corps of cadets during tlie ses- sion 1898-1899 was George A. Derbyshire. From 1899 until 1901, he was a tactical officer at the Institute. For the next several years, he served in Porto Rico and the Philippines as a lieutenant in the United States Army. He retired from active duty in 1904 to accept a position with the New York Central Railroad. Lieutenant Derbyshire re- turned to the Institute in 1915 and was post adju- tant and instructor in mathematics for two years. At the outbreak of the war, he was recalled to ac- tive service and assigned to duty as commandant of the corps of cadets at V. M. I. Colonel Derby- shire was commandant during the trying years while the United States was in the war. Since 1919, he has been Military Executive at the Insti- tute. Efficient, loyal, and sincere. Colonel D erby- shire is one of those men who make V. M. I. tradition. As commandant of the corps of cadets for the past five years. Colonel Withers A. Burress has de- voted all his energy to the betterment of the mili- tary standing of the Institute. Colonel Burress has stressed the fundamentals of military training, and the effects of his efforts are plainly discernible in a corps which holds itself more erect, salutes properly, and goes about its military duties with a true sense of responsibility. The high esteem with which the services of Colonel Burress are held at V. M. I. was clearly shown by the request of the superintendent that he be allowed to remain here during our centennial year. The task of the com- mandant is not an easy one, but Colonel Burress justly may leave V. M. I. with the feeling that the Institute has profited greatly by his stay.

Page 30 text:

mmi JAMES A. ANDERSON (OLONEL WILLIAM (OUPE James A. Anderson was graduated from V. M. I. in the class of 1913. He was Jackson Hope Medalist in Civil Engineering. After taking graduate work for two years at Cornell Univer- sity, he entered the service. His distinguished career in tlie army includes the rise from a cap- taincy in the Virginia National Guard to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army. After the war, Colonel Anderson returned to the Institute to become assistant professor of Civil engineering with the rank of major. He later became associate professor of Civil Engineering with the rank of lieutenant colonel. The con- scientiousness, sincerity and ability of this man have caused him to become recognized as a very valuable instructor and friend. During our stay at V. M. I., he has been made a brigadier gen- eral with the important duties of head of the Department of Civil Engineering and dean of the faculty. He has proved beyond doubt that he is in every way equal to the responsibility of his position. The many interesting details of V. M. I. history have at last been gathered, carefully edited, and fascinatingly retold. This is the comment of the Alumni News on the book, One Hundred Years at V. M. I., by Colonel William Couper. Born at Norfolk, Virginia, William Couper was gradu- ated from V. M. I. in the class of 1904. He did graduate work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He served in the construction corps of the army for a thousand one days. Since 1925, he has been business executive and official his- toriographer at the Institute. For the past twenty years. Colonel Couper has studied V. M. I. his- tory and last November his first two volumes were presented to the public. The last two vol- umes of the work will be presented in the near future. Colonel Couper has written two other books which are of great interest to V. M. I. men. They are Claudius Crozet. Soldier-Scholar. Edu- cator-Engineer and The V. M. I. New Market Cadets. In writing One Hundred Years at V. M. .. Colonel Couper has brought to all V. M. I. men a book which they will always treasure. (

Page 32 text:

The Department of Civil En Qfineeri nq Is-? .-■ V ; ----■-, -. - ' ■: . - I MilitawJile has often beerhigbnn ted to ensin ' eering education, but ; ,,,aownere do the two supplenifent eAch.ather ' as- Aey do,at V -M. I.-. This ;i ::, jJeparansftfis the-oldest at the Instit ute apd both its number ' ccessful . graduates and its number ' in the pre S graduating class arp l r than y other. No man in ' 4S -gladuated without Im thrqyfih a transit and . f ' e irianyaDMP. ' i looked ' -- w f prthat ' eneraL Anderson returned to VvM. I. S edjn the WPA program for the S tate ■ef— Virginia. It g - ff third class year th he was made a general and Academic t e whftjran perhaps, best appreciate.the great contribution e arid t est- of Idje civi4 faculty make -to the JnsfitSte. v t ne civil »ctiGtt or ' 40Bwe a-gr«af jiebt of ' gratitude to tliese men and to th ycparSnent A little slavery while in these walls means the freedom off ccess outsid as past generations of civil engineers and ' tneir arcom- jshrnents show ' uS. ..:,,.. , . Sl nding: Majo Taylor. Col