Served as the Executive Director of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority (NRHA) from 1941-1969 and, thereafter, as Assistant Secretary for Renewal and Housing Assistance in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) during Nixon’s administration. Collection chiefly consists of the records accumulated during his service with the NRHA and HUD.

Francis N. Crenshaw was a member of Old Dominion University's Board of Visitors (1968-1976). Material relates to his service as member and rector of the Board. The collection also contains papers of his father, Captain Russell Crenshaw (1886-1975), that chiefly relate to his service in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

The collection contains an assortment of documents related to Marvin Lee, a professor at Old Dominion University and Public Housing Manager in Norfolk, Virginia. The bulk of the mateial chronicles Lee's career with the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority (NRHA) but also contains personal material as well