The Thomas C. Fiddick Memorial Lecture Series
Thomas Fiddick served as professor of history at the University of Evansville from the fall quarter of 1963 to the spring semester of 2002. In the 39 years he spent at the University, he was a dedicated teacher, a productive scholar, and a tireless fighter in the cause of justice. His untimely death on the day of his retirement in 2002 stunned the entire University of Evansville community, especially his many former students.
"Fiddick was a gifted teacher who breathed life into the old dead guys of history. He was a passionate liberal long after it became unfashionable and a gifted musician who played the trombone in a traveling band. During his life, he accumulated a long list of former students who credit him for liberating their minds and altering their lives."
- Maureen Hayden
"He was terrifically patient with other people's ideas and their attempts to articulate them. He was a great, thoughtful man."
- Daniel Gahan (Current Department of History Chairperson)
Former students', with the support of Tom Fiddick's friends and the University, established the annual Thomas C. Fiddick Memorial Lecture in 2002. Each year, a committee consisting of the full-time members of the Department of History, a member of the Fiddick family, and alumni of the Department of History select the lecturer. It is the intent of the Department of History that the lecture be given by historians or those in fields closely related to history. Lectures are related to such themes as social justice, free inquiry, history of the arts (music especially), or Russian history. Time for the lecturer to mingle with alumni, members of the larger community and current students has also been a special feature of the event. Recent Fiddick Lectures have included: 2008-Kevin Whelan, one of Ireland's best-known and most widely published scholars, spoke about "Ireland Today: The Challenge of Blending the Old with the New," ; 2009-Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, a professor of history at the University of California at Santa Barbara, delivered a presentation entitled "Were the Atomic Bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Justified."; 2010- World-renowned authority on both U.S. foreign policy and war, Marilyn B. Young presented 'Necessary Wars of Choice: America's 'Limited' Wars Past and Present.'
The University continues its efforts to grow the Fiddick Lecture Series Endowed Fund. Its current book value is approximately $70,000 with a goal to reach $100,000.
