Joe S. Jeffers is a native of Warren, AR, USA. He received a BS in Professional Chemistry from Ouachita Baptist University (1966) and a PhD in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology from Purdue University (1972). He was a graduate student with PT Gilham at Purdue, developing RNA sequencing methods at the same time Dr. Sanger was developing RNA sequencing methods in Cambridge. He has spent his career in the Department of Chemistry at Ouachita Baptist University, where he served sequentially as chemistry department chair, natural science division chair, and dean of natural sciences. He is currently the Holt Professor of Chemistry and Pre-Medical Studies. He conducted twelve interviews with Dr. Sanger over the period of 1999-2009.He also conducted interviews with more than 40 colleagues and family members of Dr. Sanger. He has been an active member of the Division of the History of Chemistry of the American Chemical Society since 2000. He is married to Charlotte Williams Jeffers. They have two children, Teri Jeffers Vancil and Charles Darwin Jeffers.