Department of History

University of Evansville

History News

The biggest news is that the department continues with its rapid growth, and we are now up to 83 majors. It is mostly a good thing, although it means that chili night at the Gahans’ house is now a mighty-cramped affair! The department is an exhilarating and vibrant place to be for us as faculty and, we certainly hope, for the students too. Although a challenging time for the University, the nation, and the world, we feel confident that we are in a position to continue to thrive, and we feel privileged to spend our time surrounded by such fine young people.

We are keenly aware, however, that everything that we do is based on the foundations laid by those who went before – both faculty and students. And so it is with heavy heart that we report the loss in September 2008 of Professor Orville J. Jaebker, who came to the University of Evansville in 1952. Professor Jaebker was a distinguished scholar and teacher who filled many roles at the University and who served the History Department with great distinction as Chair for many years. He will be sorely missed, and our thoughts are very much with his family.