University community mourns historian Jeffrey Moran

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas community is mourning Jeffrey “Jeff” Moran, professor of history, who died April 17. He was 57. 

Moran joined KU’s Department of History in 1998 as an assistant professor. He was promoted to associate professor in 2003 and to full professor in 2013. He served two terms as chair of the department: 2004-2006 and 2013-2015. 

At KU, he explored the origins, power and limits of secular modernity 20th-century America. His research interests circled around modern U.S. history, cultural and intellectual history, history of education, public health, religion evolution and sexuality.

His first book, “Teaching Sex,” came out in 2000 and examined the history of sex education. He later pivoted to studying the history of evolution and in particular the Scopes Trial, publishing “The Scopes Trial: A Brief History with Documents” in 2002 and “American Genesis: The Evolution Controversies from Scopes to Creation Science” in 2012. The second edition of “The Scopes Trial” appeared in 2021.

As an instructor, most recently Moran regularly taught an undergraduate seminar on the 1960s and graduate research seminars. He advised more than 15 senior honors theses and numerous doctoral dissertations on subjects ranging from the cultural impact of old age to Midwestern segregation to student-led sexual education. He received a University Scholarly Achievement Award in 2012.

Moran is remembered by colleagues as an accomplished historian, a generous and kind colleague, and a dedicated teacher and mentor.

“He had strong opinions about history — and he didn’t hold back in sharing them — but he never let them distract him from making the all-important human connections that make our lives meaningful,” said Shayda Jahanbani, associate professor of history.

Paul Kelton, a former chair of the history department and now a Stony Brook University professor, said Moran was a “rock star scholar” who found time for others, even as he battled cancer.  

“He stepped in to chair the department twice and put up with us ornery faculty with good humor and humility,” Kelton said.

Luis Corteguera, professor of history, said that among Moran’s contributions to the field, to the department and to KU, he hopes that Moran’s kindness will not be overlooked.

“Among Jeff Moran’s many achievements and virtues, to me, his kindness stands out, whether as undergraduate director, graduate adviser, departmental chair, colleague or friend,” Corteguera said.

A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. April 27 at Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 13th St.