Oral history of James Cross

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Dr. James Cross is an engineer and professor who graduated from Hopkins in 1960 with a degree in electrical engineering. Cross details his experiences as one of the first Black students at Hopkins. He mentions befriending one Black student who was also living on campus at the time, Ernie Bates, and attending a sit-in at a local restaurant with another Black student, Victor Dates. During his undergraduate years, Cross was a member of ROTC, he ran track, and strongly committed to his studies and education as a form of civil rights activism. In the interview, Cross touches on his early life growing up in rural Virginia, his experiences abroad while in the Army, and the various educational and professional paths his life took in his post-Hopkins years. He remains an active member of his community and speaks fondly of his family's endeavors and accomplishments. Dr. Cross was nominated for the Indispensable Role of Blacks at Hopkins Exhibit and has spoken about his life and career at the Fred Scott Brigade Annual Dinner. This oral history is part of the Hopkins Retrospective oral history series.

Oral history of Helen Holton

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Helen Holton, a Baltimore native and longtime Baltimore City Council member, attended Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, and the University of Baltimore. She joined the Baltimore City Council in 1995, representing the 5th District of Baltimore, until she became the first representative of the new 8th District of Baltimore in 2004. Holton has served on numerous boards, commissions, councils, and committees for Maryland, Baltimore, regional affairs, her alma maters, and assorted service organizations. In addition to her political work, Holton is an Associate Pastor for Payne Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church in Baltimore. In this oral history, Holton discusses the Leadership Development Program at Hopkins, the School of Professional Studies in Business and Education (SPSBE), her experiences as an African-American political official, and her work in Baltimore. This oral history is part of the Mame Warren oral histories series.

Oral history of Elmo Douglass

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Baltimore native Elmo Douglass graduated from Johns Hopkins in 1954 with a degree in civil engineering. After graduation, Douglass joined the Army Corps, and later had a long career in highway and transit engineering for the California Department of Transportation. In this history, Douglass recounts his time at Hopkins as one of the first African-American undergraduates in the school of engineering. This oral history is part of the Hopkins Retrospective 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 Minnie Hargrow

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Minnie Hargrow, a North Carolina native, began working for Johns Hopkins in 1946 in the university's cafeteria. After more than three decades in that position, Hargrow was promoted to a position in the Office of the President of Johns Hopkins, at which point she became the assistant of president Steven Muller. She remained the assistant to the president under three more Hopkins presidencies until her retirement in 2007. In this oral history, she discusses her work in Levering Hall and the changes in administration she has witnessed in her long career at Hopkins. This oral history is 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 Ernest Bates

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Doctor Ernest Bates, originally from Peekskill, New York, graduated from Johns Hopkins and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and founded American Shared Hospital Services, a company that leases medical equipment to hospitals across the United States. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the Johns Hopkins University, the Board of Visitors of the Johns Hopkins Medical Center, and on the Johns Hopkins Neurosurgery Advisory Board. In this oral history, Bates discusses his experiences at Hopkins as the first African-American student in the School of Arts and Sciences in 1954, the difficulties of segregation off campus, and his subsequent activities as a trustee with Hopkins. This oral history is part of the Mame Warren oral histories series.