During World War II, the city of Evansville was one of the most important cities in the country, manufacturing hundreds of ships, thousands of fighter planes and literally billions of other items that contributed hugely to the Allies’ victory. It was an exhilarating time of great change and opportunity for everyone who lived and worked in Evansville, but also a period of extremely difficult challenges and of profound loss. In this captivating lecture, illustrated with scores of images, James MacLeod explains how all of this industry came to be in Evansville, reveals the enormous impact that it had on social, economic and cultural life, and analyzes how the city dealt with what was a time of astonishing transformation.

Dr. James MacLeod was educated at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, receiving an MA in 1988 and a PhD in 1993. He taught history and British Studies at Harlaxton from 1994-1999, and since 1999 he has been a member of the History Department at UE, where he teaches courses in European History and the two World Wars. Dr. MacLeod is the author of Evansville in World War Two, which was published in 2015. In 2016, he wrote and co-produced a 2-part documentary on Evansville in World War II for WNIN PBS titled Evansville at War, and has also written over 30 other scholarly publications. He was UE’s Outstanding Teacher in 2009. McLeod is an active local historian, and serves on the Boards of the Vanderburgh County Historical Society, the Southwestern Indiana Historical Society, and the Evansville Museum of Art, History and Science.

This virtual event is free and donations are gladly accepted.

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