Preservation Champions

Celebrating a Legacy of Leadership and Preservation

For decades, extraordinary individuals have dedicated their time, talents and voices to protecting America’s battlefields. The American Battlefield Trust honors those whose leadership, passion and unwavering commitment to preservation have safeguarded our nation’s hallowed ground, advanced historical understanding and inspired future generations.

Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award

The Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award honors individuals whose exceptional leadership, dedication and lifelong contributions have shaped the battlefield preservation movement and inspired future generations to protect America’s hallowed ground.

John L. Nau III

John L. Nau, III

Career Highlights
American Battlefield Trust Chairman Emeritus, Trustee for Life, Historic Preservation Leader, Philanthropist, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran
Award
2023 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Pete and Julia Brown

Pete and Julia Brown

Career Highlights
Preservationists, Co-founders of HistoryAmerica Tours, Heritage Tourism Advocates
Award
2019 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Edwin C. Bearss

Edwin C. Bearss

Career Highlights
World War II Veteran, National Park Service Chief Historian, Tour Guide, Author
Award
2018 & 2001 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award

William C. Howell

Career Highlights
Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, Virginia State Delegate, Chairman of the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission, Battlefield Preservation Advocate
Award
2017 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Man with white hair and a white beard speaking at a podium into a microphone, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and patterned tie.

The Rev. Bob Bluford

Career Highlights
World War II Veteran, Presbyterian Minister, Battlefield Preservation Advocate
Award
2013 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Clark B. Hall

Clark B. Hall

Career Highlights
FBI Supervisory Agent, Congressional Investigator, Co-founder of the Brandy Station Foundation, Vietnam Veteran, Battlefield Preservation Advocate
Award
2012 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Man with gray hair and glasses smiling at the camera, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and patterned tie.

Edward T. Wenzel

Career Highlights
Historian, Author, Co-founder of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites, Co-founder of the Chantilly Battlefield Association, Battlefield Preservation Advocate
Award
2012 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Man speaking into a microphone, wearing a dark suit, light blue shirt, and red patterned tie.

Norman D. Dicks

Career Highlights
U.S. Congressman, Chairman of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, Battlefield Preservation Advocate
Award
2010 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Deborah Fitz

Deborah Fitts

Career Highlights
Journalist, Assistant Editor of Civil War News, Director of Communications for the Civil War Trust, Battlefield Preservation Advocate
Award
2008 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Man wearing glasses, a gray pinstripe suit, white shirt, and red patterned tie.

John P. “Jack” Ackerly III

Career Highlights
Attorney, Co-founder of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites, University of Virginia Rector, Battlefield Preservation Advocate
Award
2007 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Man with dark hair and a mustache wearing a Civil War-era military uniform and red kepi-style cap.

Brian C. Pohanka

Career Highlights
Civil War Historian, Author, Historical Consultant, Co-founder of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites, Battlefield Preservation Advocate
Award
2006 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Manuel Lujan Jr.

Manuel Lujan Jr.

Career Highlights
U.S. Secretary of the Interior, U.S. Congressman, Battlefield Preservation Advocate
Award
2006 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Man with white hair, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and patterned tie, with other people visible in the background.

Carrington Williams

Career Highlights
Attorney, Chairman of the Civil War Preservation Trust, Virginia State Delegate, Battlefield Preservation Advocate
Award
2003 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Man with white hair, glasses, and a white beard pointing at something, wearing a dark jacket and blue shirt.

Jerry L. Russell

Career Highlights
Public Relations Specialist, Political Consultant, Battlefield Preservation Advocate
Award
2002 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Man wearing a National Park Service uniform and broad-brimmed ranger hat, outdoors against trees and a blue sky.

Dennis E. Frye

Career Highlights
National Park Service Historian, Co-founder of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites, Battlefield Preservation Advocate
Award
2001 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Smiling man wearing a broad-brimmed National Park Service ranger hat and green uniform, outdoors in a wooded setting.

Don Pfanz

Career Highlights
National Park Service Historian, Interpreter, Author, Battlefield Preservation Advocate
Award
2001 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award

American Battlefield Trust Preservation Champions

From historians and authors to advocates, philanthropists and public servants, these extraordinary individuals have helped shape the battlefield preservation movement. Through their leadership, dedication and service, they have protected irreplaceable historic landscapes, deepened our understanding of the past, and inspired others to carry the mission of preservation forward.

Preservation Champion

Steve McDaniel

Steve McDaniel, who serves as the deputy speaker of Tennessee's House of Representatives, credits the beginning of his intense interest in...
Jeff McKinney
Preservation Champion

Jeff McKinney

Jeffrey T. McKinney played a pivotal role in preserving 665 acres of historic battlefield land at Jericho Mills along Virginia's North Anna...
Warren Middlebrook
Preservation Champion

Warren Middlebrook

Warren Middlebrook spent decades caring for 49 acres of historic Saunders Field at the Wilderness Battlefield in Virginia. In 2011, he sold...
Lieutenant General Richard P. Mills (USMC, Ret.) in uniform
Preservation Champion

Lt. Gen. Richard P. Mills (USMC, Ret.)

Retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Richard P. Mills has been a strong advocate for battlefield preservation and the use of historic landscapes in...
John L. Nau III
2023 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Preservation Champion

John L. Nau, III

A longtime battlefield preservation advocate and philanthropist, John L. Nau III has helped protect historic landscapes, expand national...
Mary Ann Peckham
Preservation Champion

Mary Ann Peckham

Born in Richland Center, Wisconsin, Mary Ann Peckham (1951–2022) dedicated her life to historic preservation and public education. After...
Smiling man wearing a broad-brimmed National Park Service ranger hat and green uniform, outdoors in a wooded setting.
2001 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Preservation Champion

Don Pfanz

Donald C. Pfanz (1958–2025) was a National Park Service historian at Petersburg National Battlefield in 1987 when he wrote a letter that led...
Man with dark hair and a mustache wearing a Civil War-era military uniform and red kepi-style cap.
2006 | Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Preservation Champion

Brian C. Pohanka

A founding figure of the modern Civil War battlefield preservation movement, Brian Pohanka (1955-2005) was a respected historian and author...
Photographic portrait of Jody Powell, White House press secretary during the Carter administration and Civil War preservation advocate.
Preservation Champion

Jody Powell

Joseph Lester "Jody" Powell, Jr. (1943-2009) was a political advisor, public relations executive and dedicated battlefield preservation...