Contents Note Collection consists of the original manuscript score of the VMI Spirit (the official song of the Virginia Military Institute), written by Benjamin Bowering while he was as Assistant Professor at VMI in 1916. The manuscript is 10.5" x 12.5", with composition in pencil and annotations by the composer. The collection also includes on typescript letter (March 16, 1935) from Bowering to VMI's Librarian Nellie Gibbs, in which he explains the history of the song.

Scope and Contents A collection, approximately 20 items, of published music written for or about the Virginia Military Institute during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The earliest is "The VMI March" (1857) by C. M. Stephani. The collection also includes the "VMI Spirit""The VMI Alma Mater""The VMI Cadet Waltz" and others.