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Records the reminiscences of Dolores Lescure Phelan, a graduate of Harrisonburg State Teachers College, (which became Madison College, and later, James Madison University), Class of 1938. Discusses her experiences as a student at the college during the latter years of the Great Depression. Comments on campus life including dorm rules, dances, curfews, mandatory chapel attendance, and the institution's name change in 1938. Recalls studying journalism under Dr. Edna Frederikson, serving as editor of the college newspaper, The Breeze, and an opportunity to interview famed aviator Amelia Earhart in 1937. Discusses her work as a teacher in Nottoway County, an editor for the Richmond News Leader, a teacher and information officer at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia, as well as serving as a president of the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace Foundation, (renamed the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library in 2004), for more than twenty years. In 2001 the museum at the Presidential Library was renamed in honor of Mrs. Lescure.

Records the reminiscences of Father John A. Grace, who served as Catholic Campus Minister at James Madison University from 1989 to 2005. Recalls his arrival at JMU as successor to Fr. William LaFratta and the warm welcome he received at the other campus ministries. Discusses the challenges of holding masses at such public venues as the Grafton-Stovall Theater and the Festival Ballroom. Details his decision to launch the first Alternative Spring Break (ASB) at JMU in 1990 and the subsequent success of the program in recent years. The ASB program has re-built housing in disaster areas in Latin America and the US and has sponsored the creation of a village bank in Guatemala. Describes his teaching experiences at JMU, his role as advisor to the Theta Chi fraternity, and his response to the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Closes with his reflections on retiring from the CCM after sixteen years.

Records the reminiscences of Louise Fontaine Baker, who attended Harrisonburg State Teachers College for two years in the early 1930s. Recalls her childhood and family life as the daughter of a US naval officer. Discusses her family history, which includes direct lines to Shenandoah Valley explorer Jost Hite and pioneering oceanographer Matthew Fontaine Maury, for whom JMU's Maury hall was named in 1917. Speaks briefly of student life at the college, including such topics as roommates, dating rules, freshman hazing, and unplanned pregnancies. Mrs. Baker completed her undergraduate studies at the College of William and Mary and pursued her Masters degree at Columbia University. Recalls visiting Europe and attending the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, as well as her impressions of German Chancellor Adolph Hitler and the policies of his government on German education. Closes with brief comments on her teaching career and advice to current students.