Donald Fleming, adjunct instructor of history at Hiram College, will present “Plague: What Can We Learn from Past Pandemics?” at the Friends of the Hiram College Library winter program. The event will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. both in-person and via Zoom.
Fleming has taught courses at Hiram for over 20 years. Prior to his time at the College, he worked for several years at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. A specialist in Medieval English social history, Fleming was a contributing founder of Seigneurie: The Society for the Study of the Nobility, Knighthood, and Chivalry, and he served as its initial conference coordinator.
Fleming has also published articles and presented papers on topics ranging from knightly landholding in the “Domesday Book” to the apparition of an undead shoemaker in “Wroclaw c. 1591.” He has also been active in the Hiram Historical Society and the Friends of the Hiram College Library.
Since 2015, Fleming has offered courses on plague pandemics and the Black Death––a subject he never expected to hold much contemporary relevance. During his presentation for this event, Fleming will compare the Plague with the current COVID-19 pandemic including the pathogens, public safety measures, and reactions to public health initiatives.
The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Register now. If attending via Zoom, the link to attend will be emailed directly to attendees prior to the event. For questions, please contact Janet Vogel, director of the Hiram College Library, at VogelJ@hiram.edu