J. A. Burke, Jr. Collection,
Scope and Content
This collection contains materials dated from 1936-1938 and 1942-1947 relating to Jerry Allen Burke, Jr. Materials include photographs, technical drawings, reports, notes, and other papers pertaining to Burke's time as an engineering undergraduate student at Virginia Tech as well as his work for the U.S. Navy during WWII and other private business ventures.
Dates
- Creation: 1936-1938, 1942-1947
Creator
- Burke, J. A., Jr. (Jerry Allen) (Person)
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from the J.A. Burke, Jr. Collection must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Biographical Information
Jerry Allen Burke, Jr. grew up in Appomattox, Virginia. His parents were Jerry Allen Burke Sr. and Ethel Abbitt; he had two siblings. In 1938, Burke earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering with a focus in aeronautical engineering from Virginia Tech. In 1942, Burke worked for the U.S. Navy at the Aeronautical Engine Laboratory of the Naval Air Experimental Station in the Naval Air Materials Center in Philadelphia, PA. Prior to this Navy work, he was an engineering expert for the Royal Insurance Company in New York. After WWII, Burke continued to work in engineering as an engineering expert for various insurance companies. In 1946, he invented a modification to a flight calculating device originally invented by George N. Butterfield. Burke patented another invention in 1976 with John Gordon Davoud: a condensing vapor heat engine with a two-phase compression and constant volume superheating. Burke lived in Richmond, Virginia, in his later years.
Full Extent
0.6 Cubic Feet (1 box; 1 oversized folder)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection contains materials dated from 1936-1938 and 1942-1947 relating to Jerry Allen Burke, Jr.: class notes and reports from his time spent as a student at Virginia Tech as well as papers, correspondence, and technical drawings from his work in private business and in the U.S. Navy.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged by material type into two series: Series I: VPI Papers and Series II: Navy & Private Business Papers.
Series I: VPI Papers, 1936-1938, contains three folders arranged by subject matter; within each topic, materials are arranged chronologically whenever possible. Materials in this series include lab reports, an exam booklet, and class notes (written on graph paper and notebooks) for various labs and lectures: hydraulics and mechanics of material lecture, machine design lab, technical English lecture, English speech lecture, machine design lecture, materials of engines lecture, and heat power lecture.
Series II: Navy & Private Business Papers, 1942-1947, contains five folders and an oversized material folder arranged by subject matter; within each topic, materials are arranged chronologically whenever possible. Materials within this series consist of Burke’s papers (such as correspondence, technical drawings, and reports) and photographs created after his college graduation that concern his personal affairs, work in the U.S. Navy engineering department during WWII, and civilian business operations. Notable items include a naval base coupon book, which contains hand-written names of a few U.S. soldiers who have died or been captured; a British insurance card for U.S. armed members overseas; correspondence concerning patenting a modification to a flight calculating device; U.S. Navy Aeronautical Engine Laboratory internal memos; a list of officer personnel; flight test reports; and a handwritten story about taking care of a young orphaned fox.
An oversized folder contains materials pertaining to Series II: Navy & Private Business Papers. Items include a blueprint of a compression sleeve drawn by Burke for Richmond Oil Equipment Co in 1947 and several documents relating to his work in the U.S. Navy: an engineering drawing of an engine; a 1943 list of Naval officers abroad; a 1942 Naval supplies contract; and an American Agency Bulletin article entitled, “Aviation will Spur Postwar Trade.” Items in this folder are arranged by material type.
Acquisition Information
This collection was obtained by Special Collections in 2009.
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description of the J.A. Burke, Jr. Collection was completed in October 2010.
- Title
- J. A. Burke, Jr. Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Subtitle
- A Collection in Special Collections
- Author
- Julia Viets
- Date
- © 2010 By Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. All rights reserved
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
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