Lynn Poole describes what archaeologists do and why. Dr. William F. Albright explains how to determine the age of an object by datable style and carbon-14 testing. He then shows slides and diagrams of the Hajar bin Humeid mounds in south Arabia. As authenticator of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Dr. Albright discusses authentication methods for writings and scripts, such as comparing changes in the Hebrew alphabet and dated documents of the same period. Lastly, he describes qualities required for becoming an archaeologist.

Russell Baker, born August 14, 1925 in Morrisonville, Virginia, a small town across the state line from Harper's Ferry, West Virginia and not far from Frederick, Maryland, is a notable American author and Hopkins alumnus. An essayist and journalist for many years, Baker won his first of two Pulitzer Prizes in 1979 for his writing for The New York Times. He is notably one of the longest-running columnists in the history of the New York Times and The Baltimore Sun. Three years later, his first autobiography, Growing Up, won Baker his second Pulitzer. The primary subject of this first autobiography, his most well-known work, was his childhood in Virginia during the Great Depression, while the focus of his second autobiography, Good Times, was his extensive and varied half-century career in journalism, including a close look at his time with The Baltimore Sun. In this oral history, Russell Baker describes his childhood, World War II, and his student days at Hopkins (1942-1947), specifically his courses in English, his work with the News-Letter, and his general impressions of Hopkins. This oral history is a part of the Mame Warren oral histories series.

Sidney Offit was born in 1928 in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from Johns Hopkins with a B.A. in English literature in 1950 and went on to have a robust and successful career as an author. He is best known for his work as a children's author, including works such as The Adventures of Homer Fink and Soupbone. He is also known for his work on televised debates with Martin Abend on WNEW-TV. In this history, Offit discusses his time at Hopkins as well as his writing. This oral history is a part of the Mame Warren oral histories series.

H. Alan Shapiro is a classical archaeologist serving as a professor in Johns Hopkins University's Department of Classics. Prior to his professorship at Hopkins, Shapiro taught at Columbia, Tulane, Stevens Tech and Canterbury in New Zealand. Sanchita Balachandran is the Curator/Conservator of the Johns Hopkins Archeological Museum and Lecturer in the Department of Near Eastern Studies. She trained as an objects conservator at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and completed additional training in the Antiquities Conservation Department of the J. Paul Getty Museum and at the Straus Center for Conservation at the Harvard Art Museums. In this interview, Shapiro and Balachandran discuss David M. Robinson's contributions to classics at Hopkins as well as the role of the Archaeological Museum on campus. This oral history is part of the Hopkins Retrospective oral histories series.

Chester Wickwire was born in Nebraska. He completed his undergraduate work at Union College and went on to earn a graduate degree from Yale Divinity School. Wickwire graduated in 1953, and was hired to work at Johns Hopkins University, eventually serving as University Chaplain. Wickwire was a social activist on campus and in the greater Baltimore community, advocating tirelessly for social justice and civil rights for all. In this interview, Wickwire discusses his time as Chaplain as well as his activism. This oral history is a part of the Mame Warren oral histories series.

Great scientists and their research are discussed including: Elmer V. McCollum and his discovery of vitamins A, D, and B1; John Boswell Whitehead and his work on dielectrics; Alexander Graham Christie's work on power plant design; the philosophy of George Boas applying the world of ancient Greece to modern thought; archaeology in the Near East by William Foxwell Albright; and Robert Williams Wood and his research into diffraction gratings and infrared filters. There is also a discussion of operations research and its applications in the American military effort.