William J. Alford, Jr. (1924-2010) graduated from Granby High School in 1942. During WWII he served in the United States Marine Corps as a dive-bomber pilot. In June 1949, Alford graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering. He continued graduate work in Aerospace Engineering at VPI from 1959-1960. He worked as an engineer at NACA-NASA Langley (1949-1980), served as head of the Advanced Transport Technology Program (1970-1975), and held the position of manager of the Energy Efficient Transport Office (1976-1979). Alford also served as the head of the Advanced Military Technology Office (1979-1980). Alford also holds co-ownership with Edward C. Polhamus of the patent for the Variable Sweep Wing Configuration (1962).
From the guide to the William J. Alford, Jr., Papers, 1951-1988, (Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.)
