Oral history of Louise Cavagnaro

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Louise Cavagnaro, originally from Portland, Oregon, was a major figure in the history of the Johns Hopkins Hospital for the last half of the twentieth century. She served as an operating nurse in combat zones during World War II and the director of nursing in Hiroshima with the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, after which she earned an M.A. in Hospital Administration from Columbia University and came to work at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1953. She filled many roles during her time teaching and administrating in the Hospital, as well as the School of Nursing. Most notably, it was Cavagnaro who led the charge to desegregate the Hospital and its affiliate institutions, about which she wrote a book in 1992 titled "A History of Segregation and Desegregation at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions." In this oral history, Cavagnaro describes the challenges of being a female in the male-dominated medical milieu of the 1950s, the Johns Hopkins Hospital and how it has changed over time, and the racial politics of the Hospital. This oral history is part of the Mame Warren oral histories series.

Oral history of John Gryder

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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.

Oral history of Charles Baughan

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Charles "Zan" Baughan worked with the Johns Hopkins University libraries for more than 45 years, beginning in 1955. In this interview, Baughan recounts his years working at Johns Hopkins University and the changes he witnessed in the library and the university along the way. Baughan discusses library inconveniences before the construction of the Milton S. Eisenhower Library, when there were 11 libraries within academic departments with limited access for students. He discusses the process of consolidating the libraries into one, a project in which he played a major role. This oral history is part of the Mame Warren oral histories series.

Oral history of Mindy Farber

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Mindy Farber graduated with a B.A. in History from Johns Hopkins University in 1974, as part of the first class of undergraduate women to matriculate as freshmen. On campus, Farber was a founder of the Women's Liberation group, which later became the Women's Center. She earned her J.D. from the NYU School of Law, after which she embarked on a long legal career, serving as an attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Labor and as the Vice President of the Baltimore Women's Law Center. In this interview, Farber describes her time at Hopkins as one of the first female undergraduates and as a campus leader and activist. This oral history is part of the Hopkins Retrospective oral histories series.

Oral history of Helen Blumberg

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Helen Blumberg, a Baltimore native, entered Hopkins as a sophomore in 1970 as part of Johns Hopkins' first class of female undergraduates in the School of Arts and Sciences. She graduated in 1973. In this oral history, she describes her lifelong connections to Hopkins, via her father who was himself an alumnus and the director of alumni relations in 1970, and her personal experiences as one of Hopkins first female undergraduates. She touches on Baltimore as a city, student unrest on campus, and feminism. This oral history is part of the Mame Warren oral histories series.

Oral history of Jerome Schnydman

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Jerome Schnydman came to Hopkins as a undergraduate in 1963. A member of the lacrosse team, he served as co-captain of the 1967 national team and was chosen as a first team All-American in 1966 and 1967, earning him a spot in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. After graduating from Hopkins, Schnydman spent time working in the insurance and pension industry. He eventually returned to work in the Hopkins Office of Undergraduate Admissions, where he remained for eleven years. Following that, he took on the position of Executive Director of Alumni Relations, where he also served for eleven years, before becoming the Executive Assistant to the President. In this history, Schnydman discusses his time at Hopkins, both as a student and staff member, as well as his lacrosse career. This oral history is part of the Mame Warren oral histories series.

Oral history of Matthew Crenson

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Matthew Crenson graduated from Johns Hopkins in 1963 and went on to receive his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Chicago in 1967. He is currently a Professor Emeritus at Johns Hopkins University and has previously worked as the Faculty Director of the university's Baltimore Scholars Program and on the Homewood Institutional Review Board. In this history, Crenson discusses both his time as a student and professor at Hopkins. This oral history is part of the Hopkins Retrospective oral histories series.

Oral history of Chester Wickwire

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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.

Oral history of Ross Jones

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Ross Jones, a native of Haddonfield, New Jersey just outside Philadelphia, graduated from Johns Hopkins in 1953 with a B. A. in History, after which he served for three years in the U. S. Army. While at Hopkins, Jones was highly involved with many student groups and activities, including the News-Letter, for which he was co-editor. He received a masters degree in journalism from Columbia University before moving back to Baltimore to work at Hopkins in 1961 as the executive assistant to then-president Milton S. Eisenhower. Since then, Jones has occupied many positions with the university including, most notably, as vice president of the university. In this oral history, Jones describes his experiences at Hopkins as a student in the 1950s, his work under multiple Hopkins presidencies (since 1961), and how Hopkins has changed in the last half-century. This oral history is part of the Mame Warren oral histories series.

Oral history of Marjorie Lewisohn

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Marjorie Lewisohn was born in 1918 in Manhattan. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 1940 and went on to complete her degree in medicine at Johns Hopkins University in 1943. In her early career, she spent time treating tuberculosis at Bellevue Hospital. By the 1950s, Dr. Lewisohn had gone into private practice while still maintaining staff physician positions at both Lenox Hill Hospital and Doctor's Hospital as well as a clinical professorship at the New York Hospital- Cornell University Medical Center. She rekindled her connection with Johns Hopkins in 1972, when she began her 18-year tenure as a trustee of Johns Hopkins University. She was the first female trustee of the university. In this history, Lewisohn recounts her experiences as a woman at the Hopkins Medical School in the early 1940s. This oral history is a part of the Mame Warren oral histories series.