The department of history invites majors and history buffs alike to a presentation of WWII’s lasting effect on Russian mentality as part of an ongoing lecture series.
This year’s keynote speaker of the Sid Easley Lecture series is Karen Petrone, a professor of history, Zantker professor of Jewish history and co-director of the Jewish Heritage Fund Holocaust Education Initiative at the University of Kentucky. Petrone’s upcoming lecture, “Vladimir Putin and Russian Memory of the Second World War,” will examine how the memory of WWII affects modern-day Russia.
Marjorie Hilton, a professor of history and history department chair at Murray State, said the memory of WWII is still very prevalent in Russia in a way it isn’t in the U.S.
“(Petrone) is going to talk about the way WWII in present-day Russia has been reimagined and used to justify decision making,” Hilton said. “I think this lecture is a really good example of how history isn’t (just) about the past— of course it is, but it still lives in the present. It guides people’s actions and leaders’ decision making.”
Sid Easley, a former Board of Regents chair, and his wife Melissa Easley, were heavily involved Murray State alumni who have made many charitable donations to the University. After his passing in 2016, the Easley family established the Sid Easley Lecture Fund to continue supporting the University in his memory.
Past Sid Easley Lecture speakers have included Kentucky writer Bobbie Ann Mason in 2016 and civil war historian Don H. Doyle in 2024. Hilton said the history department looks for regional speakers of “considerable reputation” who will bring a topic of broadly applicable interest to the community and help people rethink how they interact with history.
“I think sometimes we misunderstand that history is about memorizing a bunch of names and dates,” she said. “Yes, you have to know some names and dates might help you talk about it, but really, it’s to help us understand who we are and our world now.”
Hilton said as a fellow professor of Russian and Soviet history, she is excited for Petrone to come to Murray State for her lecture and her visit to Hilton’s course on Imperial Russia.
“(Petrone) has an international reputation, I can say since I’m in the same field as she is,” Hilton said. “She’s really excited to come to Murray State. … She seems like a perfect speaker to bring to campus right now.”
The 2025 Sid Easley Lecture will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18, in the Wrather Auditorium. Petrone’s lecture will follow the history department’s presentation of three scholarships for graduate and undergraduate history students. After the lecture, there will be a reception and book signing on the second floor of Wrather Hall. All events in the Sid Easley Lecture series are free and open to the public.
