The collection is open for research.
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.
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Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Velma H. Alderman Scrapbook, 1950-1981, Ms2023-089, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The Velma H. Alderman Scrapbook was donated to Special Collections and University Archives in January 1991.
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Velma H. Alderman Scrapbook was completed in August 2023.
Velma Hartsock, daughter of Jacob H. and Nannie Viola Wade Hartsock, was born in Radford, Virginia on June 6, 1907. She married Harry Bruce Alderman (1904-1966) in Bristol, Tennessee, on February 6, 1926; the couple lived in Radford with their three children, and by 1940 Velma Alderman had taken work at a local textile plant. The Aldermans divorced in 1948, and the 1950 federal census shows her living in Radford with her youngest child while operating a railroad newsstand. By the time of her marriage to Emmett Gammon Staley (1908-1975) in 1956, Velma Alderman was working as a clerk for Roses (likely Roses Department Store). In the decree for her divorce from Emmett in January, 1964, Velma is described as a clerk for the Greyhound Bus Company. Six months after the Staleys divorced, Velma Hartsock Staley married Lewis Jackson Ritter (1908-1981). Velma Hartsock Alderman Staley Ritter died in Radford on September 23, 1990, and was buried in West View Cemetery, Radford.
Nancy Alderman Orange (1932-2013), youngest child of Velma and Harry Alderman, served on the staff of Virginia Tech for 20 years before retiring in 1997.
This collection contains a scrapbook of newspaper clippings created by Velma H. Alderman, mother of former Virginia Tech professor Nancy Orange. The scrapbook focuses largely on Radford and the surrounding area during the 1950s, particularly on murders (the Billie Jean Turpin murder foremost among these) and other crimes, as well as fires and fatal accidents. Also included are clippings relating to the Korean War and general clippings about local events, activities, and history, as well as national events and figures. Also in the collection is a folder of loose newspaper clippings and ephemera, including a postcard of George Washington on horseback.
The materials in this collection are arranged by material type.
The guide to the Velma H. Alderman Scrapbook by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (