Edmund Welch Hobbs Scrapbook,
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of a single scrapbook maintained by Edmund Welch Hobbs, a member of Virginia Polytechnic Institute's Class of 1932. Focusing largely on events at Virginia Tech during Hobbs' years as a student at the university, the scrapbook contains photographs of campus scenes, "rat parades," "scrubbing numerals," student groups and individuals; signatures and sentiments of schoolmates; membership cards; dance cards; event programs; and newspaper clippings. The scrapbook also contains snapshots from 1960s banquets of the Virginia Tech Southern California Alumni Chapter.
Also included are materials relating to Hobbs' personal life and post-collegiate activities, including gallery passes for the United States Senate and House of Representatives; materials from the 1955 Longwood College graduation of Jeanne Lynch Hobbs and the marriage of Hobbs' sister, Ethel Inez Hobbs; and souvenirs from Hobbs' membership in the Order of DeMolay.
Dates
- Creation: 1928 - 1966
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from the Edmund Welch Hobbs Scrapbook must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Biographical Note
Edmund Welch Hobbs, son of Freeland and Ethel M. Hobbs, was born on September 4, 1910. The 1931-1932 catalog for Virginia Polytechnic Institute lists him as a junior and a resident of Norfolk, Virginia. While a student at the university, Hobbs partnered with Geraldine Fox in operating the Fox-Hobbs Dance Studio in Blacksburg. Though he was a member of the class of 1932, majoring in mechanical engineering, Hobbs seems not to have graduated with his class. Items in the scrapbook, however, suggest that Hobbs may have returned to school in 1937, and he appears in Virginia Tech alumni directories.
Hobbs married Helen Elizabeth Lynch, daughter of Daniel A. and Helen Lynch of Salem, Virginia, on December 31, 1931. The couple would have one child before divorcing in 1940. The 1940 census shows Hobbs living in the Norfolk home of his parents. Alumni directories indicate that he had moved to southern California by 1974. Edmund Welch Hobbs died in El Cajon, California on January 1, 1993.
Full Extent
0.3 Cubic Feet (1 box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Scrapbook of Edmund Welch Hobbs (member of Virginia Polytechnic Institute's Class of 1932), focusing largely on events at Virginia Tech during Hobbs' years at the university and including programs, dance cards, newspaper clippings, and photographs.
Acquisition Information
The Edmund Welch Hobbs Scrapbook was donated to Special Collections in 1974.
Separated Materials
The following item, which had been stored loosely at the back of the scrapbook, was removed to be cataloged for the Rare Books Collection:
Views. [S.l., s.n., ca. 1930]. (cover title: Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Virginia)
Physical Characteristics
0.3 cu. ft. 1 box
Processing Information
The processing and description of the Edmund Welch Hobbs Scrapbook commenced and was completed in January, 2013.
- Title
- A Guide to the Edmund Welch Hobbs Scrapbook, 1928-1966
- Subtitle
- A collection in Special Collections.
- Author
- John M. Jackson
- Date
- ©2013 By Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. All rights reserved.
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu