Posted: Monday, September 28, 2026
By: University Communications

The University of Evansville's Department of History, Politics, and Social Change is proud to welcome The New York Times reporter and historian Clay Risen for the 24th annual Thomas C. Fiddick Memorial Lecture.

Risen will deliver the lecture, titled "The Red Scare in the Living Room: How Everyday Americans Experienced the Anti-Communist Hysteria of the 1950s," on Friday, October 23 at 7 p.m. in Eykamp Hall in the Ridgway University Center on UE's main campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Clay Risen is a reporter with The New York Times and the author of several books on American history, including, most recently, Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism and the Making of Modern America, which was named a best book of the year by The Chicago Tribune and The New Yorker. His previous books include The Rough Riders: Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the Dawn of the American Century, The Bill of the Century: The Epic Battle for the Civil Rights Act, and A Nation on Fire: America in the Wake of the King Assassination. He is a member of the Society of American Historians and a fellow with the New York Institute for the Humanities. Risen was educated at Georgetown University and the University of Chicago.

Risen's lecture will explore how the anti-Communist witch hunt known as the Red Scare, which gripped America in the decade following World War II, affected the lives of everyday Americans. While the era is often remembered through its most prominent figures and dramatic political events, its impact was felt most directly in the day-to-day lives of teachers, government employees, and other ordinary citizens.

Drawing on the experiences of several individuals featured in his book, Risen will examine how Americans confronted government pressure, intimidation, and efforts to restrict their freedom. The lecture will conclude by considering what these experiences reveal about government oppression and the essential role of individual resistance in defending civil liberties.

"Clay Risen is a brilliant historian and an excellent speaker, and we are truly privileged to have him on campus," said Dr. James MacLeod, UE professor of history and director of the Fiddick Memorial Lecture Series. "He has a remarkable ability to bring history to life, and we are delighted to have him share his insights with our students and the Evansville community."

Thomas C. Fiddick, for whom the Fiddick Memorial Lecture is named, served as professor of history at the University of Evansville from 1963 to 2002. In his 39 years at the University, he was a dedicated teacher, a productive scholar, and a tireless fighter in the cause of justice. His book, Russia's Retreat from Poland, 1920: From Permanent Revolution to Peaceful Coexistence, is still considered to be the best book on this topic. Tom's untimely death on the day of his retirement in 2002 stunned the entire UE community, especially his many former students. It was from the former students' efforts in particular, with the support of Dr. Fiddick's friends and the University, that the annual Thomas C. Fiddick Memorial Lecture was established.

"For over twenty years, the Fiddick Lecture has been one of the best events of the year, as we get to celebrate the career of a truly outstanding faculty member here at UE," said Dr. MacLeod. "Tom Fiddick was a brilliant scholar and an incredible teacher who made a life-transforming impact on generations of students."