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Virginia Tech
Historical Data Book, Section 2.6:
The Class System
The Class Year a student belongs to generally has been of much greater significance to most Virginia Tech students
than whether he is a member of the freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior class, except in the case of cadet class
privileges. A student is considered a member of the Class Year four years from the time he enrolled as a freshman.
The system has been of particular significance since 1934 when the first Class Ring Dance was inaugurated by juniors
of the Class of 1935.
CLASS RINGS - The first official class ring was presented by the Class of 1911 and displayed a pair of
eagles and a flat stone. Eagles have been on every class ring since. A square stone was used on the 1912 ring,
being replaced the following year with a gold seal embossed with the class numeral, an eagle, and the letters
"V.P.I." An oval stone was introduced in 1914 and was used on all class rings until the 1973 ring, which adopted
a rectangular-shaped stone. Until 1940, a rope had been used to encircle the stone, but in that year a chain
symbolizing class unity was adopted and has become traditional. The Class of 1961 was the first to employ
oversized block class numerals, which all rings have since used in some form. Class rings may still be ordered
for all classes since 1923. A list of the manufacturers and the years they manufactured a class ring may be
found in the following table. Rings may not be ordered from a manufacturer without prior authorization from
the Student Personnel Division at the university.
Manufacturer
Bailey, Banks and Biddle (Philadelphia)
Balfour (Attleboro, Mass.)
Charles Elliott
Dieges and Clust (Towson, Md.)
Herff-Jones (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Josten's (Owatonna, Minn.)
John Roberts (Norman, Oka.)
George Spies (Josten's has dies)
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Class
1923, 24
1948, 51, 60, 66, 70
1928, 30, 31, 35
1959, 65
1925, 26, 27, 29, 32, 33, 34,
1950, 53, 57, 61, 63, 68
1936, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43,
1944, 45, 46, 47, 49, 52,
1954, 55, 56, 58, 62, 64,
1971, 73
1967, 69, 72
1939
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CLASS RING DANCE - The first Class Ring Dance was presented on April 27, 1934, by the juniors of the Class of 1935.
The Class of 1935 initiated the sabre arch as part of the cadet figure. The first coast-to-coast radio broadcast of
the dance was made in 1941. In 1942, the corps of cadets petitioned band leader Fred Waring to write a popular song
for Ring Dance. The result was "Moonlight and VPI" with lyrics by Charles Gaynor and music by Waring. The song was
introduced nationally by the Fred Waring Glee Club on April 17, 1942, on Waring's CBS radio network show, broadcast
from New York. World War II prohibited staging Ring Dance for four years.
CLASS PRESIDENTS - Class presidents since the first one elected in 1895 are listed below. The first coed to be elected
class president was Jane Y. Harshbarger, Class of 1974.
1895, F.W. Simpson; 1896, O.C. Thompson; 1897, W.R. Kirkpatrick; 1898, O.F. Whitehurst; 1899, A.B. Hubard; 1900,
C.F. Brown; 1901, J.B. Huffard; 1902, H.G. McCormick; 1903, E.W. Whisnant; 1904, F.R. Butler; 1905, C.K. Hildebrand;
1906, A.D. Williams; 1907, T.J. Wright; 1908, R.S. Hoffman; 1909, P.P. Huffard.
1910, J.W. Edwards; 1911, A.A. Waldrop; 1912, G.W. Chappelear Jr.; 1913, H.B. Hughes, 1914, H.M. Somerville; 1915,
R.L. Davis; 1916, A.T.M. Rust; 1917, H.E. Keller; 1918, J.A. Bell; 1919, W.B. Goode; 1920, J.E. Old; 1921, G.E. Rice;
1922, M.R. Jones; 1923, T.L. Oliver; 1924, R.J. Rea; 1925, H.S. Talman; 1926, R.D. Michael; 1927, J.N. Bond; 1928,
E.W. Hutchinson; 1929, W.P. Chrisman.
1930, R.L. Amole; 1931, D.H. Brown; 1932, C.H. Chrisman, 1933, A.S. Wright; 1934, L.D. Simmons; 1935, G.W. Wildes;
1936, J.M. Crafton; 1937, J.C. Hulcher; 1938, E.H. Fuller; 1939, J.A. Gaugler; 1940, S.E. Bonsack III; 1941,
S. Johnson; 1942, L.M. Wright; 1943, W.E. Davis; 1944, H.J. Dekker; 1945, R.W. McCue; 1946, J.W. Kirk; 1947, V.J.
Moogalian; 1948, J.E. Scott; 1949, C.M. Forbes.
1950, J.E. Weaver; 1951, R.B. Montague; 1952, J.A. Snider; 1953, T. Stark III; 1954, W.G. Huffman; 1955, T.J. Blair;
W.E. Norcross; 1957, K.C. Coleman; 1958, W.K. Barlow; 1959, R.E. Benton; 1960, D.E. Bird; 1961, J.T. Rice; 1962, S.L.
Lionberger; 1963, D.E. Lowe; 1964, R.E. Russell; 1965, F.D. Magill Jr., elected
(succeeded by F.W. Nolen in September 1964); 1966, K.O. Clay; 1967, R.P. Keith; 1968, G.A. Anderson; 1969, M.D.
Musick; 1970, L. F. Langhans III; 1971, J.R. Mustard Jr.; 1972, R.G. King; 1973, C.H. Sorrell Jr.; 1974, Jane Y.
Harshbarger.
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