Daniel Carl Scavone

Daniel Carl Scavone graced our world for 91 years from his birth on Feb. 11, 1934, until his passing on Nov. 7, 2025. History touched him early when he was born during the Great Depression in the Italian-American Taylor Street neighborhood of Chicago to parents of Italian heritage--his father Daniel (Cateno) Scavone, who emigrated from Sicily at age 16, and his mother Mildred (Carmella, nee Colucci), a first-generation American.

The seeds were sown for his future as a historian and history professor when he became a student at Saint Ignatius High School (now Saint Ignatius College Prep), where he studied under the Classical Honors Curriculum that included learning Latin and Greek. He maintained that this education shaped the entire rest of his life. His interest in classics and history continued at Loyola University Chicago, where he received his BA in Classics and his MA and PhD in History.

Beginning with ROTC at Loyola, Dan served in the military in infantry in the Army Reserve. During basic training, he volunteered for airborne training. He always enjoyed sharing stories about his eight parachute jumps.

Throughout the Chicago years, Dan cherished his relationship with many good friends from the neighborhood, high school, and college, who became lifelong friends. They enjoyed times together at Hull House, summer camps at Bowen Country Club, and going to movies in beautiful historic theaters. Dan played tennis and engaged in weekly bowling evenings with family and friends. He participated on teams in baseball (in the Chicago Park District Liberty Division League for ages sixteen and under) and bowling. He helped create a college bowling league--originally including Loyola, DePaul, Notre Dame, and Vincennes. One year he was selected as Most Valuable Player on Loyola's varsity bowling team. As a spectator, he often attended Cubs games and also enjoyed the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks. In Evansville he added a new sport. He learned to play ice hockey at the age of 47, even though he had never skated before, when an ice skating facility opened. He was part of the Huff and Puff League for fourteen seasons.

Dan had a passion for music, which included musical evenings in his parents' home when people would gather and play mandolin and guitar; forming a quartet in college, the Collegians, who sang at school functions, with Dan writing the arrangements; and attending concerts of the Chicago Philharmonic. He would always say that the experience of hearing Beethoven's 5th Symphony would change his life. Later in Evansville he was a regular concert attendee of the Evansville Philharmonic concerts and musical productions around the city. He was a member of the Evansville Philharmonic Chorus, with which he sang for thirty-five years. During those years, highlights for him were singing Beethoven's 9th Symphony and being in the cast of La Bohème.

Dan already as a young boy showed talent in writing. In 1942, at the age of 8, he wrote a story influenced by WWII and also poems about the war. Later in life he would write many articles for journals, newspapers, and other publications on historical subjects, which included topics on ancient Greece and Rome, early Christianity, technology in the ancient world, famous artists and sports figures, civil rights historical events, the Holy Grail, and most prolifically the Shroud of Turin. He also wrote three books, The Importance of Christopher Columbus, Vampires: Opposing Viewpoints, and The Shroud of Turin: Opposing Viewpoints. In 1990 he was asked to write the entry on the Shroud in the World Book Encyclopedia and again for a later edition. His work has been acknowledged or cited in publications in many countries. He felt privileged to have received honorary membership in the National Academy of Sciences of Mexico.

His early teaching career, all in Classics and History, was at Loyola College in Montreal, Canada; Rosary College in River Forest, Illinois; Niles College of Loyola University in Niles, Illinois; and Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois. After receiving his PHD, he was Professor of History at Indiana State University Evansville/University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, Indiana, from 1970 until retirement in 1999. He loved teaching and taught over 25 courses ranging from World Civilizations to Medieval Europe to the Renaissance to 20th-Century Europe. He was so proud of his students' accomplishments in life, some becoming history teachers and history professors themselves. A former student honored him by creating the Scavone Awards in Medieval Manuscripts and Culture, and Dan and his wife Carolyn established a scholarship for history students at USI. In addition to teaching, he was a participant in the ISUE/USI community outreach speaker program, conducted field trips to Chicago museums, was faculty advisor to the History Club, hosted Classical Heritage Days for Indiana high school Latin students, and was faculty founder of the USI chapter of the Golden Key National Honor Society and of the USI chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, a national history honor society. The university bestowed the honors of Distinguished Professor in 1994 and Professor Emeritus upon retirement. His civic involvement included serving on the board of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra for five years and being a speaker for the Kentucky Humanities Speakers Bureau for fourteen years.

Dan's interest in continuing to learn was supported by the many grants he received throughout the years, including a 3-year Doctoral Studies Grant from NDEA (which covered a semester in Rome, where Dan was a member of the first group to study at Loyola's John Felice Rome Center); three 8-week NEH Seminars for College Professors at the University of Texas, Columbia University, and American Academy in Rome; and three 8-week Mellon Fellowships at Vanderbilt University and Chautauqua.

Dan was a frequent speaker, with presentations on topics which included Greek and Roman Coins, Ancient Troy, Modern America and Ancient Rome, King Arthur, Atlantis, the Holy Grail, The Da Vinci Code, historical Dracula, Christopher Columbus, and the Shroud of Turin. He appeared on television and radio history documentaries many times, which included ones for CBS, The Learning Channel, History Channel, Vatican Radio, and TV Tokyo. Introductory lectures on the Shroud alone numbered well over 600.

His first exposure to sindonology came in 1978 when he attended his first international Shroud of Turin conference in Turin, Italy, and saw the Shroud for the first of many times. Over the years he would attend, often speaking at, Shroud of Turin symposiums within the U.S. and overseas in Paris, Rome, Nice, Turin, Orvieto, and other locations in Italy. He organized a Shroud symposium at the University of Southern Indiana with speakers from the U.S., Mexico, and Italy. His research on the Shroud--along with his publications, interviews, and presentations on the subject--established him as a respected Shroud historian locally, nationally, and internationally.

Dan also loved travel and made over thirty trips overseas. These included study at Oxford University and in Greece and Rome. His enthusiasm for sharing knowledge and for historical and archeological sites extended to co-directing overseas study tours for students. Trips also included those with his family, and he particularly enjoyed Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Egypt, whose civilizations he lectured on so frequently during his teaching years. In addition to those trips, he participated with Carolyn in five Evansville Philharmonic Chorus concert tours abroad plus a performance at Carnegie Hall.

He and Carolyn shared thirty-five years of loving marriage, which encompassed many musical events together, exciting travel experiences to numerous countries, shared support for educational endeavors, and wonderful family events. When the difficult journey of declining health presented itself, they faced the challenges together with fortitude, love, and grace.

Throughout his life, Dan appreciated the value of education, artistic and cultural contributions to life, and his faith. He was passionate about teaching and was known for his enthusiastic style and easy conveyance of knowledge that inspired his students over the years. Students have said that he was not just a teacher but a mentor. Ever the learner, he was continually interested in acquiring new knowledge and was not afraid to try new things. He thoroughly enjoyed lively conversations with family, friends, and colleagues, and especially engaging in discussions on new information among fellow Shroud researchers. He was considered a true Renaissance man.

Dan was loving, thoughtful, and supportive, and above all, he dearly cherished his family. He was beloved by them and will forever be held affectionately in their hearts.

Dan once said, "History is a long novel." Although his final earthly chapter is written, a new eternal chapter has begun.

Dan is survived by his wife Carolyn, his daughter Cara MacLeod (Don), his son Daniel, his grandson DJ MacLeod (Andrea), his granddaughter Matlyn MacLeod (Rieser Wells, fiancé), his sister Camille Tadin, and his nephew Joel Schorn (Edwina).

The family would like to express their appreciation to all those who provided excellent care during his year at West River Health Campus, to his Deaconess Hospice team of the last two months, and also to those at the Evansville VA Clinic who provided support throughout his illness.

Visitation will be from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, and noon to 1:00 p.m. prior to service time on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. at Alexander Funeral Home--West Chapel, 2100 W. Illinois St., Evansville, IN 47712, with Rev. Lynn Marino officiating. The Funeral Service will be livestreamed at www.facebook.com/funeralstreamUSA beginning at 12:45 p.m. on Friday. Burial will follow at Alexander Memorial Park.

Memorial contributions can be made to the USI Foundation for the Scavone Scholarship at 8600 University Blvd., Evansville, IN 47712 or USI.edu/onlinegiving; Evansville Philharmonic Friends of the Chorus or Evansville Philharmonic, 20 NW Third St., Suite 500, Evansville, IN 47708; or St. Paul's United Church of Christ, 7700 Middle Mt. Vernon Rd., Evansville, IN 47712.

Condolences may be made online at www.AlexanderWestChapel.com.