Southern Methodist University historian Ariel Ron is among 20 people named 2026 MacArthur Fellows. The Dallas scholar directs SMU’s Clements Center for Southwest Studies.
Ron studies how agriculture in the 19th-century North influenced U.S. economic growth and federal power. His 2020 book, Grassroots Leviathan: Agricultural Reform and the Rural North in the Slaveholding Republic, challenges the familiar contrast between an industrial North and an agricultural South.
Two other Texans made this year’s list: artist Vincent Valdez, who divides his time between San Antonio and Houston, and forensic anthropologist Kate Spradley of Texas State University in San Marcos. Spradley founded Operation Identification, which works to identify and return the remains of migrants who died near the Texas-Mexico border.
Each fellow receives $800,000 over five years without restrictions. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation chooses recipients through a confidential process; individuals cannot apply.
Please note! Comments are published by readers. The opinions expressed may not reflect the position of the editorial team. USCT is not responsible for the content of readers' opinions and asks authors to observe moral standards, not to incite national or racial hatred, and to avoid rudeness. Think before you speak. You are responsible for your words! By publishing an opinion, you agree to the rules! If this request is ignored, USCT reserves the right to deprive the user of the ability to leave comments.