Gift Honoring Arnold Zuckerman

Arnold Zuckerman, a former Truman professor known for making history interesting for students, will be remembered for generations to come through a lectureship established in his honor by his stepdaughter, Judi G. Schweitzer.

Schweitzer has made a cash and deferred gift commitment through Truman State University’s “Bright Minds Bright Futures” campaign to endow the Dr. Arnold Zuckerman Lectureship in History. The lectureship, which commemorates Zuckerman’s distinguished career as a scholar, research historian and dedicated teacher, is designed to provide Truman students an opportunity to learn and interact with noted historians.

In 1963, Zuckerman joined the Truman faculty, and he retired as professor emeritus of history in 1990. During the nearly 30 years he taught at Truman, he challenged his students to think critically and made the study of history relevant by reminding students of the associative value of events, people and dates. The lectureship will continue the tradition Zuckerman established by bringing guest lecturers to campus whose experience and expertise are relevant to the interests of the History Department at Truman. A preference will be given to speakers whose experience and expertise encompass medical history, a passion of Zuckerman’s.

Zuckerman, who passed away Feb. 15, 2008, was a member of the American Association for the History of Medicine, the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies and the American Association of University Professors. He earned undergraduate and master’s degrees from DePaul University and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois.

Schweitzer received a bachelor of science degree from Truman in 1989 and resides in Lake Forest, Calif. In 2006, she founded Schweitzer & Associates Inc., a strategic real estate advisor for investors, organizations, developers and builders, for creating sustainable community development and green-building practices.

The Zuckerman Lectureship will be supplemented through gifts from friends and colleagues, as well as a deferred gift from Schweitzer’s living trust. The “Bright Minds Bright Futures” campaign is a major component of Truman’s strategic plan and vision to become the nation’s premier public liberal arts and sciences university.  The $30 million campaign will provide support for student scholarships, student enrichment initiatives, faculty development and enhancements to the athletic program.