Plank, Floyd
Title
Plank, Floyd
Last Name
Plank
First and Middle Name
Reyzin Floyd
Nicknames or Other Names
Floyd, R. Floyd
Hometown
Barbourville
County and/or State
Knox County, Kentucky
Birth Date
May 21, 1892 (WW2 Draft Card) May 23, 1892 (WW1 Draft Card) May 22, 1891 (TN Delayed Birth Certificate)
Birthplace
TN (WW1 draft card) or KY(Census) or Clairborne, TN (TN delayed birth certificate and VT Special Collections project on the Lyric Theatre)
Death Date
January 14, 1977
Cause of Death
Cardio-respiratory arrest
Place of Death
Blacksburg, Virginia
Parents
Newton W, Allie A
Siblings
Grace, Elizabeth, Mary
Spouse(s)
Elizabeth T. Plank
Children
Lucy B, Ellen T
VPI Graduating Class
1920
Service Branch
Student Aviators
Unit
N/a
Rank
N/a
Military Events
- Enlisted January 24 1918, released December 4 1918
- Noted in The Virginia Tech, as being a student aviator awaiting the call as of 31 January 1918.
Other Events
R. Floyd Plank came to Blacksburg to work in a men’s clothing store. In 1917, when the owner of the store died, he took it over with the original owner’s nephew. He was drafted in WW1, and when he returned he bought out the other partner’s half of the store. He and a friend then converted the original space into a drug store and moved the men’s clothing store down College Ave. Within the next 20 years he established the Blacksburg Realty Corporation, owned the Lyric Theatre, and sat on the Board of Directors of the National Bank of Blacksburg. Plank was responsible for a lot of the development on Main St. near the College Ave. and Draper St. area. He was a charter member of the local chapter of the American Legion, as well as a member of the Rotary club and the Masons.
Additional Notes
Other than being listed in the 1917 Bugle as a honorary member of the German Club and listed under Student Aviators in the 1919 War Bugle, there is no indication in any other Bugle, nor the V.P.I. Catalogs that R. Floyd Plank was a student at V.P.I.
Bibliography
1930 Census
1940 Census
1917 Bugle
1919 War Bugle
The Lyric Theatre: A Look Back at the Beginnings
U.S. Dept Veterans Affairs BIRLS
1940 Census
1917 Bugle
1919 War Bugle
The Lyric Theatre: A Look Back at the Beginnings
U.S. Dept Veterans Affairs BIRLS
Files
Collection
Citation
“Plank, Floyd,” VPI in World War I, accessed April 26, 2025, https://vpiworldwarone.lib.vt.edu/items/show/856.
Comments (if you have information about a veteran or would like to talk about a veteran, also email the project director Daniel Newcomb at danieln1@vt.edu with your information or question)