Director of the Civil Rights Heritage Center and history professor Lester C. Lamon will present the 19th Annual Lundquist Faculty Fellowship Lecture at 7 p.m. Friday, March 19, in Room 1001, Wiekamp Hall, Indiana University South Bend.

Lamon’s topic is “Dealing with the Fox: Race Relations and Civil Rights in South Bend.” He will present his insight into the history of civil rights in the area and where the movement is going today.

The event is free and open to the public. However, the IU South Bend Alumni Office is asking for reservations for the reception following the lecture. Call 237-4381 by March 16.

Lamon has devoted years to studying and teaching civil rights history. He has written numerous books, presented papers and critiques, and he has addressed professional conferences about the issues of civil rights.

Lamon is a native of Maryville, Tenn. He started his college career in 1960 as the civil rights movement was gaining momentum.

In 1965, he was hired as a history teacher and assistant basketball coach at a high school in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The school was one of the first to be integrated in the South because of the construction of a large atomic energy plant.

The reality of racism was witnessed by Lamon when his black basketball players were abused by fans on road trips. Back in the classroom, black students asked why the textbooks ignored black history.

Lamon returned to college to study African-American history. He received his doctorate in 1971 from the University of North Carolina. He accepted an appointment at IU South Bend that same year.

He was named associate professor in 1975 and full professor in 1982. He also served as curriculum coordinator from 1979 to 1981, dean of the Division of Arts and Sciences from 1981 to 1989, vice chancellor for academic affairs from 1989 to 1995, and interim chancellor from 1995 to 1997.

Following his stint in administration, he returned to the classroom.

In 2000, Lamon and a number of students visited civil rights historic sites in the South. The students returned from the trip determined to continue studying the issue in South Bend.

According to Lamon, the Civil Rights Heritage Center was created to teach how change can be accomplished by ordinary people. “People showed up day after day to register to vote. Others sat at segregated lunch counters day after day. They knew they would be arrested but they continued to be there and make change occur.”

The Lundquist Lecture was instituted in 1984 and named after Eldon Lundquist, one of Elkhart’s best known natives. He wore many hats – public relations, advertising, hospital development director, sportscaster and legislator. He was a member of the Indiana General Assembly from 1961 to 1976, where he served as the Senate Education Committee chairman for more than a decade.

In 1976, he was appointed assistant to the president of Indiana University with an office at IU South Bend. He served in that role until his death in 1977.

His friends established an endowment in his name to sponsor public lectures. In 1984, the Faculty Fellowship Program was established to support IU South Bend faculty members who demonstrate outstanding accomplishments in teaching, scholarship and research.