Virginia Tech Fight Song

M-38

Blackstone residents Mattie Walton Epes (1896-1993) and Wilfred Preston “Pete” Maddux (1897-1977) wrote the popular Virginia Tech fight song “Tech Triumph” at this house in 1919. Maddux, who had entered Virginia Polytechnic Institute as a freshman in 1916 and served in the U.S. Naval Reserve during World War I, asked Epes to help him write a song for the school. Epes improvised a tune on the piano, while Maddux wrote down the score and composed lyrics. The song, a product of “instantaneous inspiration,” was first played at a Virginia Tech football game in Nov. 1919 and quickly won the approval of the Tech Corps of Cadets. Columbia Records issued a recording in 1920.

Department of Historic Resources, 2019

See a problem? Report it to HighwayMarkers@dhr.virginia.gov.

DHR could use your help! We don't have a recent image of this marker. If you have one that you'd like to submit for inclusion on this site, please send it to HighwayMarkers@dhr.virginia.gov.

References/Bibliographic Citation:

Wilfred Preston Maddux, War History Commission Military Service Record Catalog of Copyright Entries, Musical Compositions, Part 3, p. 1642. The Virginia Tech, 10 Dec. 1919, 27 Oct. 1920. Richmond Times-Dispatch, 6 June 1920, 4 Dec. 1921, 7 Oct. 1924, 3 Oct. 1948, 26 April 1977. Norfolk and Western Magazine (July 1962), 289. Roanoke Times, 19 Dec. 1919. Bulletin of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Feb. 1917. Blackstone Courier-Record, 18 Feb. 1993, 29 Sept. 1994, 7 Aug. 2019. https://history.unirel.vt.edu/traditions/songs.html