Photograph of Julian A. Burruss

Photograph of Julian A. Burruss

Born Aug. 16, 1876, in Richmond, son of Woodson Cheadle and Cora Emmett McDowell Burruss. Entered VAMC in fall 1894 and received B.S. in civil engineering in 1898. As a student, was editor of 1898 Bugle, captain of Battery E, and active in other student organizations. Also received A.M. degree from Columbia in 1906 after studying at Richmond and Harvard. Obtained Ph.D. from University of Chicago in 1921. Received honorary LL.D. from Hampden-Sydney in 1937. Married Rachel Clevand Ebbert of Covington, Kentucky, in 1907; had one son and one daughter. First educational post was as an instructor at Normal College, Waleska, Georgia. Also instructed at Searcy (Arkansas) Female Institute and Speers-Langford Military Academy before returning to Richmond in 1901 as principal of the Leigh School. Became director of manual arts for Richmond public schools in 1904. Was elected first president of State Normal and Industrial School (now James Madison University) in 1908 and laid out grounds there. Was president there until 1919, when he was elected VPI president at age 43. Named president emeritus upon his retirement in 1945. Died Jan. 4, 1947, in Staunton at age 70.

Source: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Historical Data Book: Centennial Edition, ed.Jenkins Mikell Robertson, Bulletin of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, vol. 65, no. 4, 70-1.

Historical Photograph Collection, Special Collections and University Archives

burruss

[image name], Historical Photograph Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.