This collection documents the activities and history of the Class of 1939, in particular the biographies of the members, the class projects done for the benefit of Clemson University, and their reunions. The materials in the collection date from 1935 to 2019, with most being created in the period 1987-2011. There are three series: Class Files, Projects, and Reunions. The Class Files and Projects Series arranged alphabetically by folder title, while the Reunions Series is arranged chronologically. In all series photographs/slides and audio-visual materials are filed at end of series in chronological order, with computer files and artifacts filed afterwards.

The Class Files Series documents the Class and the lives of its members. The Chronicle provides biographical sketches of nearly all members of the Class and their spouses as well as general historical information about the Class. The necrology files, created by Class necrologists James Welborn Kelly and later Champ McMillian Jones, which gathered obituaries and other information provided by the class members or their surviving family to provide obituaries for the memorial portion of the reunion program and for the memorial service held at each reunion. There are also necrology files for some of the spouses of Class members. Materials in this series are arranged alphabetically by folder title and cover the period 1935-2019, with most dating from 1995-2008.

The Projects Series materials record the numerous projects undertaken by the Class to benefit Clemson University and to perpetuate the memory of the Class. Most prominent are those records documenting the Class of 1939 Golden Anniversary Fund, which provided scholarships and resources for a number of Class projects; the creation of the Class of 1939 Faculty Award for Excellence and the funding and construction of its Monument (Bell Tower); and the development of the Heritage Gardens within the South Carolina Botanical Gardens, including the Caboose Garden and the Cadet Life Garden. There is also material relating to the earlier move of the caboose and the guardroom bell to the Botanical Garden prior to the creation of the Caboose Garden. Important correspondents include T. L. Senn, Class of 1939 president from 1981 until his death in 2016 and James O. Sweeny, who chaired the Class of 1939 Golden Anniversary Fund and the Class of 1939 Heritage Gardens Committees. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title and covers the period 1961-2014, with most of the materials dating from 1985-2011.

The Reunions Series contains material relating to specific reunions, in particular programs, class meeting minutes, and from 1989 on audio-visual materials. Planning documentation for each reunion is generally sparse or non-existent, with most correspondence coming from Elton W. Shepherd, Sr., who helped plan many of the reunions. The verses contributed by the unofficial class poet, T. Benton Young, to commemorate the reunions can also be found here. Files in this series are arranged chronologically and cover the period 1944-2019, with no material for 2018 and gaps in the earlier years since reunions prior to 1989 were generally held biennially.

The Class of 1939 Records are an important resource for documenting the contributions of its members in World War II and to Clemson University as well as the development of the Class of 1939 Faculty Award for Excellence, the Bell Tower, and the South Carolina Botanical Garden.