Updating two decades of Hoosier history Furlong’s latest project

“There is so much to cover in the last 15 to 20 years. The history doesn’t fall into an obvious pattern. Organization will be the problem in the allotted space. “It will be a good exercise for me. It is a chance to continue the story from where I stopped before,” said Furlong.

A member of the faculty since 1967, Furlong said much of the original book developed naturally from his lectures on Indiana history. He is the director of the master’s program in liberal studies.

This spring, his task will be to balance the history of the state from north to south and not focus too heavily on Indianapolis.

“Another thing to consider is school loyalty,” he said. “Notre Dame and IU will be included, but I need to balance this with Purdue” and other accomplishments on other campuses. He said he will cover the major issues of the revival of the auto industry with Kokomo, Hummer 2 in Mishawaka and the Toyota plant in Princeton. “Fifteen years ago, we saw the assembly plants as a dying business,” he said. “The plants are a strong example of the perseverance of industry.”

Other topics that will be included are the emergence of Carmel, the rebirth of Indianapolis and the continued influence of the steel industry on Gary and the northern corridor.