Ronald L. Lewis received the BA degree from Ohio University, USA and earned the MA and the PhD in American history from the University of Akron. He taught at the University of Delaware for eleven years (1974-1985) prior to becoming professor of history at West Virginia University in 1985. At WVU he chaired the Department of History for six years (1989-1995), was appointed Eberly Family Professor of History (1993-2001), and then Stuart and Joyce Robbins Chair in History in 2001, a position he held until his retirement in 2008. He is currently professor emeritus and Historian Laureate of West Virginia. Lewis is the author of five books, co-editor of dozen volumes, and has published numerous journal articles, book chapters, and essays. In retirement he continues to reside in Morgantown with his wife Susan and canine companion Maggie.

Charles Vest is President Emeritus and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. A native of Morgantown, Dr. Vest earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from West Virginia University in 1963, and M.S.E. and PhD degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1964 and 1967, respectively. He serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations and foundations devoted to education, science, and technology. Since 2008, he has been a member of the West Virginia University Board of Governors. He has authored a book on holographic interferometry, and two books on higher education. He has received honorary doctoral degrees from seventeen universities. He was awarded the 2006 National Medal of Technology by President Bush and received the 2011 Vannevar Bush Award from the National Science Board. He currently serves as the President of the National Academy of Engineering.