Deborah Fitts

Deborah Fitts (1945-2008) was a respected journalist and passionate advocate for Civil War history and battlefield preservation. Through her reporting for Civil War News, she chronicled the triumphs, setbacks and challenges of the modern battlefield preservation movement, helping document its formative decades.

As a reporter and writer for Civil War News from 1989 until her death in 2008, Fitts covered the triumphs, setbacks, clashes and drama of the movement's first two decades. She was also one of the earliest staff members of the original Civil War Trust, joining the organization as director of communications in 1992, a year after its founding.

In 1994, Fitts began working for the Loudoun Times-Mirror in Leesburg, Virginia, while continuing to contribute to Civil War News, where she became assistant editor in 1999. In 2005, she joined the staff of the Richmond Record.

Fitts was deeply committed to Civil War history, battlefield preservation and journalism. Her meticulously reported stories were known for their even-handed approach and scrupulous fairness. She was married to fellow Edwin C. Bearss Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Clark B. Hall.

Fitts passed away from breast cancer in 2008. Her dedication to accurate, thoughtful reporting left an important record of the modern battlefield preservation movement and a lasting legacy among those who worked to protect America's historic battlefields.