Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg National Military Park, Pa.

Champions of Battlefield 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.

Older man wearing a Civil War Trust baseball cap, gray jacket, red shirt, and plaid tie.

Edwin C. Bearss

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

Career Highlights
World War II Veteran, Presbyterian Minister, Preservationist
Award
Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Inducted
2013
Older man with white hair wearing a dark pinstripe suit, white shirt, and patterned tie, smiling at the camera in front of a wood-paneled wall.

Clark B. Hall

Career Highlights
Vietnam Veteran, FBI Supervisory Agent, Congressional Investigator, Preservationist
Award
Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Inducted
2012
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, Preservationist, Author
Award
Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Inducted
2012
Man speaking into a microphone, wearing a dark suit, light blue shirt, and red patterned tie.

Norman D. Dicks

Career Highlights
U.S. House of Representatives Member, Preservationist
Award
Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Inducted
2010
Woman with short gray hair wearing sunglasses on her head and a coral cardigan.

Deborah Fitts

Career Highlights
Journalist
Award
Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Inducted
2008
Man wearing glasses, a gray pinstripe suit, white shirt, and red patterned tie.

John P. “Jack” Ackerly III

Career Highlights
Lawyer, University of Virginia Rector, Preservationist
Award
Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Inducted
2007
Man with dark hair and a mustache wearing a Civil War-era military uniform and red kepi-style cap.

Brian C. Pohanka

Career Highlights
Historian, Preservationist, Author
Award
Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Inducted
2006
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Manuel Lujan Jr.

Career Highlights
U.S. House of Representatives Member, Secretary of the Interior, Preservationist
Award
Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Inducted
2006
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Carrington Williams

Career Highlights
World War II Veteran, Lawyer, Virginia House of Delegates Member, Preservationist
Award
Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Inducted
2003
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Jerry L. Russell

Career Highlights
Preservationist, Public Relations Specialist, Political Consultant
Award
Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Inducted
2002
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, Preservationist
Award
Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Inducted
2001
Smiling man wearing a broad-brimmed National Park Service ranger hat and green uniform, outdoors in a wooded setting.

Donald C. Pfanz

Career Highlights
National Park Service Historian, Interpreter, Preservationist, Author
Award
Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award
Inducted
2001

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

Kyle Thompson

California native Kyle Thompson, former chef, musician, and victim of ALS, recorded a CD of original and period music at Civil War battlefields across...
Preservation Champion

Jim Vaughan

Of all the dignitaries, supporters and Civil War enthusiasts gathered at Lee’s Headquarters in Gettysburg for the Trust’s announcement on July 1, few...
Man with gray hair and glasses smiling at the camera, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and patterned tie.
Preservation Champion

Edward T. Wenzel

Ed Wenzel is one of the originators of the modern battlefield preservation movement. He is a co-founder of both the Chantilly Battlefield Association...
Man with white hair, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and patterned tie, with other people visible in the background.
Preservation Champion

Carrington Williams

In the late 1990s, as the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites and the original Civil War Trust struggled to co-exist in their shared...
Preservation Champion Star and Shield
Preservation Champion

Rep. Rob Wittman

Rob Wittman lives in Westmoreland County and has represented Virginia’s First Congressional District since 2007. Occasionally called “America’s first...