Spearheading Environmental Change : The Legacy of Indiana Congressman Floyd J. Fithian

Spearheading Environmental Change: The Legacy of Indiana Congressman Floyd J. Fithian describes the life of a four-term United States congressman, focusing on his role in the emerging environmental movement in late twentieth-century America. Spearheading Environmental Change highlights Fithian’s legislative efforts regarding three water-related issues that profoundly concerned Hoosier and midwestern voters: creating a national park on the Indiana shoreline of Lake Michigan; canceling dam construction near Purdue University; and mitigating flooding in the Kankakee River Basin. The book also covers Fithian’s positions on ecologically sensitive issues such as pesticides, noise pollution, fossil fuels, and nuclear power.

Largely remembered for his participation in the Democratic reform wave that took over Congress in 1975 post-Watergate (the so-called Class of ’74) and as an advocate for Hoosier farmers, Fithian has been overlooked for his role as a force to be reckoned with on the House floor when it came to the nation’s environmental challenges. Fithian was a highly ethical, pragmatic reformer bent on preserving his country’s natural resources. Spearheading Environmental Change gives Fithian the credit he deserves as an environmental warrior on the national stage.

Jill P. May is professor emerita of literacy and language in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Purdue University. She was a member of Purdue University’s Women’s Studies and Jewish Studies programs. Her coedited textbook with Darwin L. Henderson,Exploring Culturally Diverse Literature for Children and Adolescents: Learning to Listen in New Ways, explored the elements of cultural diversity found within literary patterns.

Robert E. May is professor emeritus of history at Purdue University. His prior works include Slavery, Race, and Conquest in the Tropics: Lincoln, Douglas, and the Future of Latin America, and his edited book on Union and Confederate diplomacy, The Union, the Confederacy, and the Atlantic Rim. His most recent book is Yuletide in Dixie: Slavery, Christmas, and Southern Memory.