John Gryder, a longtime chemistry professor at Hopkins, was a noted civil rights activist in Baltimore. He attended the California Institute of Technology for his undergraduate and some graduate work and received his Ph.D in chemistry from Columbia University in 1948 before coming to Hopkins to teach later that year. Gryder partnered with Rev. Dr. Chester Wickwire, the campus chaplain for many years, to help desegregate Baltimore and provide equal educational opportunities for African Americans during the turbulent 1960s and 1970s. In this oral history, Gryder discusses being a professor and administrator on campus through various Hopkins presidencies and how Hopkins has changed as an institution from the 1950s forward, especially during the heyday of the student movement in the 1960s. This oral history is part of the Mame Warren oral histories series.

William Banks, a Baltimore native, received his B.A. from Johns Hopkins in 1929. Shortly after graduating, he joined the Lord Baltimore Press, a company specializing in folded paper boxes with brightly colored advertisements. A booming success, the business was bought by International Paper Co., of which Banks became the vice president in 1969. In this oral history, Banks describes what Hopkins was like in the 1920s, as well as his activities with the Black and Blue Jay and Barnstormers. Banks also discusses his favorite classes at Hopkins as well as fundraising for the university as an alumnus. This oral history is part of the Mame Warren oral histories series.