The History Of The Virginia Tech Ring

The tradition of the Class Ring is one of the oldest and most respected traditions of Virginia Tech. It is a time-honored tradition that not only embraces the past, but also energizes the present. Furthermore, Virginia Tech is one of a handful of institutions that annually designs and offers an entire collection of Class Rings in addition to the enduring symbol of the traditional Class ring. The very first Virginia Tech Class ring, for the Class of 1911, was designed after the Class had graduated.

For the past 93 years, the task of designing the Class ring has presented many challenges. It requires that every committee come up with a distinct and unique collection. This gives individuality to every Class and also allows them to add or subtract based on their experience through their years at Virginia Tech. This blend of tradition and creativity is especially evident on the traditional ring because it combines elements of importance from both the University and the Class. The university side is more formal and time-honored. It typically includes elements such as Burruss Hall, the screaming eagle, and the university seal among others. The Class side creatively includes elements of importance for each Class. Recently, the design process has also included the selection of a Class namesake. This is done as a dedication to a distinguished alumnus or university president. The program began in 1991 with Julian A. Burruss. Major General W. Thomas Rice (Class of 1934) is the namesake for the 2005 Class. The design, collection, and the namesake are revealed to the Class during the fall of their junior year at Ring Premiere. The members of the Class order their rings and receive them in the spring of their junior year at the Ring Dance, a tradition which began in 1934.

Even though the Class of 1911 president, Fred Prosser, first introduced the idea of a unique Corps of Cadets Class ring at the Class meeting in their senior year, a consensus could not be reached. So the Class of 1911 was graduated without Class jewelry of any kind. This bothered Prosser, by then a graduate student at Virginia Tech, so much that he contacted his classmates and appealed to them again about a ring. This time they agreed. Prosser went to a jeweler with a drafted drawing of the design—a screaming eagle and shield. Prosser himself arranged for the sale and shipment of the rings. The idea of a Class ring caught on. The Class of 1914 adopted the idea and selected a Ring Design Committee to design their Class ring. This idea remains in place today. The Ring Design Committee is made up of eight members and is chosen by the Class Officers. The committee consists of a Ring Design Chair, two at-large Ring Design Committee members, the Ring Dance Chair, the Class President, and three at-large Class Officers (Male, Female, and Cadet). After formation, every committee begins the daunting task of re-designing a ring collection that their Class can identify with and be proud of.