Melville Lewis Jeffries was born in Culpeper, VA on September 21, 1902. Nicknamed 'Mel,' Jeffries was very close to his identical twin Marion Thomas 'Manie' Jeffries from the start. The twins were not the first twins in the Jeffries family, however. Mel and Manie's father, Marion Jeffries had an identical twin named Melville Jeffries, who was a very close uncle to the boys.
As boys, Mel and Manie were very active in many different sports and played numerous identical twin pranks on those around them. Mel loved to play baseball and football, and even as a boy loved to read. The boys' mother, Kate Mercer Goodloe Jeffries (of Afton, VA), instilled a strong sense of morals and religion in the young boys. Jeffries' mother had a profound effect on his life, and when she passed away of tuberculosis when he was fourteen, these values became much stronger. After their mother's death, Mel and Manie were taken care of by their first cousin until they finished high school.
For Jeffries, college was the next step. Mel received a baseball scholarship from Roanoke College, but was also interested in joining the Corps of Cadets at VPI. He decided to turn down the baseball scholarship and came with his brother Manie to Blacksburg in the fall of 1922 to enroll in VPI. Mel joined Company A, and declared a major in Industrial Education, which he described as a 'business degree.' Throughout his time at VPI, Jeffries was involved in the baseball squad, Rappahannock Valley Club, Mineral Club, and although he was an Industrial Education major, he took every English class that the institute had to offer. He was a member of the Maury Literary Society and became the athletic editor for the student newspaper, 'The Virginia Tech.'
During his freshman year, Mel Jeffries was invited by both the VPI German Club and the Cotillion Club to become a member. After about two months when he could not decide on which to choose, Jeffries stated in a speech at Senior Banquet in 1984 that '...the Man upstairs was looking after me I'm sure, and I joined the German Club.' Mel's brother Manie also became a member.
Late in his senior year at VPI, Jeffries' father died very suddenly. In order to support the family, both Mel and Manie left Blacksburg to return to Culpeper and worked for a year. In 1927, Mel returned to complete his curriculum and graduated in the spring of that year.
After completing his undergraduate studies, Jeffries got a job working for the VPI Athletic Foundation as the sports information director. As an alumnus, Jeffries maintained a close relationship with the German Club. He served as the club's Faculty Advisor for the fourteen years that he lived in Blacksburg. Many club members would visit and enjoy good fellowship at Jeffries' home as well as in his office in War Memorial Hall.
During this time, Jeffries lived in the very newly founded University Club on Otey Street. On June 9th, 1936, Jeffries married Mary Lewis Ingles of Radford, and the couple moved into a house on the corner of Washington Street and Draper Road, very close to where the current Blacksburg Police Station is located. His wife was a descendant of Mary Draper Ingles, who became famous for her escape from Indian captivity. Her father was James Lewis Ingles, VAMC Class of 1898 and was the captain of the VAMC football team. As an avid sports fan and athletic correspondent, Jeffries knew her father and when Ingles passed away, Mel met his wife-to-be at the funeral.
During this period, most likely 1935 or 1936, Jeffries wrote the German Club Ritual. His motivation to write the Ritual can be expressed in a letter that he gave to his son which states, 'What the German Club stands for means so much to me I decided to put it down on paper.' Earlier accounts have claimed that the document was written and adopted in 1933, however, this is not found to be the case by alumni who graduated during this time.
In the early 40's, Jeffries began to work for the American Red Cross to support the World War II effort. As a military school, VPI shut down in 1943 to send troops overseas. When this happened, Jeffries agreed to keep all records and property of the German Club until the troops returned and the club became active again. Also in that year, Jeffries obtained employment with Radford Insurance Company, and moved to Radford. Jeffries and his wife moved into Mrs. Jeffries' family estate called 'Ingleside,' which was built in 1793, and soon after had their first and only child, Lewis Ingles Jeffries. Nicknamed 'Buddy' after an uncle, Lewis Jeffries was Leader of the German Club in 1964, graduated in that same year, and became a Colonel in the Armed Forces. As a father, Mel 'never raised his voice,' recalls Col. Jeffries.
While working in Radford, Mel Jeffries became a member of the Rotary Club, and wrote the weekly minutes from 1946 on. Jeffries retired from the insurance business in 1970, and devoted himself to his main hobby of reading and writing. Jeffries became the editor of the Radford News Journal and had his own weekly column in that journal called 'Mel's Moments,' where he wrote about a variety of people and events around town. Jeffries became increasingly active in the Episcopal Church during this time as well. In his later years, Mel's favorite place to be was in the living room of 'Ingleside,' reading in his chair.
On August 14, 1987, Mel Jeffries passed away. He is laid to rest in the Ingles Cemetery in Radford near the New River.
People who knew Jeffries describe him as gentle, considerate, courteous, intelligent, and, above all, a true gentleman. Mel Jeffries has influenced the lives of many men who have followed in his footsteps, and who strive to live by his words every day. He was an extraordinary man who shaped an extraordinary organization. Jeffries is quoted to have said, 'One of God's richest blessings was to belong to the German Club.' Indeed because of his life and words, Mel Jeffries himself continues to be one of God's richest blessings to the German Club of Virginia Tech.
If you would like to hear an audio clip of Mel Jeffries reading the German Club Ritual, please click here.
Submitted by David Brown '99
