https://vpiworldwarone.lib.vt.edu/files/original/1edc3adbb5fce96385da3afb0469be93.jpg 38d7b5a8063a0109854261ddc0f2e106 https://vpiworldwarone.lib.vt.edu/files/original/f7b61c26b5c1c3497c3a8d7b180f2996.jpg c159dda03ab31b565bec1733701a70b3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource VPI Class of 1916 Person An individual. Last Name Phinney First and Middle Name Ralph McCullough Hometown Richmond, Virginia County and/or State Henriico Nicknames or Other Names Ralph Birth Date June 1st, 1895 Birthplace Jonesboro, Tennessee Death Date October 14th, 1998 Cause of Death Age Place of Death Greene County, Tennessee Parents Robert and Minnie Phinney Siblings Robert Phinney Jr. Spouse(s) Lieutenant Phinney never married, and died a life long bachelor. Children Lieutenant Phinney had no children. VPI Graduating Class In what VPI class did this individual graduate or what class should they have graduated from? 1916 Undergraduate Major What did this individual major in while at VPI? Electrical Engineering Graduated Yes or no, did this individual graduate from VPI? Yes Service Branch What branch of the military did this individual serve in? U.S. Army Unit What unit or ship did this individual serve in or on? American Telephone and Telegraph Company U.S. Signal Corps Service Rank What military rank did this individual hold? Second Lieutenant Retired Rank What military rank did this individual hold upon retirement? First Lieutenant Decorations or Citations Lieutenant Phinney was made Honorable Mayor of Greeneville, Tennessee. The Ralph Phinney scholarship was also made in his name at Tusculum College. Military Events What significant military events occurred in this individual's life? Was a member of the US Army Signal Corps, which would later grow to become a massive part of the US Army structure, which now operates communications for the entirety of the US Army. It was founded in 1860, and at the time of First Lieutenant Phinney’s enlistment was relatively small. He joined hoping to gain knowledge on telephone lines, and he would later use that knowledge to found his own company. Additional Notes Lieutenant Phinney was a sophomore Rat, or someone who started out as an academic sophomore in the Corps. Other Events What other significant events, outside of the military, occurred in this individual's life? Helped to secure and preserve the legacy of President Andrew Johnson by helping create a museum and erect a statue. Postwar Life What did this individual do after the war? Lieutenant Phinney founded an electric engineering company and pioneered the creation of an electric grid in east Tennessee in the 1920s. Occupation Owner and manager of Greeneville Engineering Company 1927 "Virginia Polytehnic Institute in the World War" booklet Did this individual appear in the 1927 booklet "Virginia Polytechnic Institute in the World War"? If so what page? No Biographical Text First Lieutenant Ralph McCullough Phinney was born in Tennessee in 1895. He would grow up there before traveling to Blacksburg Virginia to enroll in VPI. After just three years he graduated and was sent to France as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army Signal Corps, hoping to gain some knowledge that he could use in the private industry later in life. Upon returning to his native Tennessee in 1919 he did exactly that, and ran an electrical company for almost sixty years. After retiring he devoted the remainder of his life to preserving and protecting the legacy of President Andrew Johnson, and his efforts ultimately resulted in the erection of a statue and small museum. He attended a VPI reunion in 1986, and was the oldest alumni in attendance. He passed away peacefully in 1998 surrounded by friends and his funeral was heavily attended. Bibliography Ancestry®. Accessed November 03, 2016. http://www.ancestry.com/. "Ralph M. Phinney Dies At 103; Helped Preserve Andrew Johnson Legacy." Greeneville Sun, October 15, 1998. Accessed November 3, 2016. www.greenevillesun.com. Swenson, H. O. The Bugle (1916). 1916. College yearbook, Virginia, Blacksburg. Contributing Researchers Aidan Kuester Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Phinney, Ralph McCullough