Posted: Wednesday, October 21, 2015

University of Evansville professor of history James MacLeod will read from his newly released book, Evansville in World War II, at a book launch on Wednesday, November 11. As part of UE’s celebration of Veterans Day, MacLeod’s reading will start at 7:00 p.m. in Room 170 (Smythe Lecture Hall) in the Schroeder School of Business Building on the University campus. A reception will follow in the lobby, near the plaque that honors those alumni from the University of Evansville (then known as Evansville College) who were killed in World War II. This event is free and open to the public.

The book will be for sale at the event and the author will be signing copies.

MacLeod’s book discusses the importance of Evansville to the war effort during World War II. The city manufactured hundreds of ships, thousands of fighter planes, and billions of other materials that made a huge contribution to the Allies’ eventual victory. It was an exhilarating time of great change and opportunity for everyone who lived and worked in the city, but also a period of great challenges and profound loss. MacLeod explains how this industry came to be in Evansville, reveals the enormous impact that it had on its social, economic and cultural life, and analyzes how the city dealt with a time of astonishing transformation.

One chapter of MacLeod’s book is dedicated to the students of Evansville College who lost their lives in World War II and who are memorialized on the monument located on campus.

MacLeod was educated at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He taught history and British studies at Harlaxton College from 1994-1999. Since 1999 he has been a member of the history department at the University of Evansville. He teaches courses in European history and the two World Wars, and lectures frequently on these topics. He has written a book on 19th-century British religion, The Second Disruption, as well as many other scholarly publications. MacLeod is also currently working on a book on Karl Kae Knecht, longtime editorial cartoonist of the Evansville Courier. That book will be published by the History Press in 2016.

For more information on the book reading, please call 812-488-2141.

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