Petrie graduated with his doctorate from Hopkins intending not to return to Auburn, but he was recruited back to Auburn by President Broun. He did not go to Hopkins intending to be a historian but got turned on to history while at Hopkins understanding how to study history rigorously beyond just memorizing facts.

History people tend to get inspired by historians who are brilliant at their craft and great teachers. What Petrie found at Johns Hopkins and what I found at his Auburn University.

Mike Jernigan - Auburn Man:The Life and Times of George Petrie