GDG- Muster stuff

[Alan D. Brunelle]

Mr. Bearss has a B.S. in Foreign Service Studies (Georgetown 1949), as 
well as an M.A. in History (Indiana University 1955). He has been a 
historian at the Vicksburg National Military Park, then southeast 
regional historian, and from 1981 until 1995 he became Chief Historian 
of the National Park Service, and after "retiring" in 1995 he was given 
the title of Chief Historian Emeritus. 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Bearss]

Wikipedia also has this to say about Mr. Bearss:

    Bearss is a consummate tour guide, bringing history alive to
    visitors of all knowledge levels, revealing encyclopedic stores of
    memory and enormous personal energy, but always with rich and
    colorful anecdotes. A /Washington Post
    <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Post>/ reporter described
    his style as "Homeric monologues." The /Wall Street Journal
    <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street_Journal>/ wrote that he
    evokes "almost hallucinatory sensations." Historian Dennis Frye said
    a "battlefield [tour] with Ed Bearss [is a] transcendental
    experience." Admirers have suggested that, if the United States ever
    recognizes Living National Treasures
    <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_National_Treasure>, as Japan
    <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan> and Australia
    <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia> do, Bearss should be an
    immediate honoree.

The Wikipedia entry also contains a lot of information on some of things 
he has accomplished over the years in the area of education about and 
saving various battlefields.

The Smithsonian has listed Mr. Bearss as one of the "35 Who Made a 
Difference" 
[http://www.smithsonianmagazine.com/issues/2005/november/bearss.php]

The number of honors and awards he's earned include: 
[http://www.answers.com/topic/ed-bearss]

    * Bruce Catton <http://www.answers.com/topic/bruce-catton> Award
    * Alvin Calman Award
    * Bell I. Wiley Award
    * T. Harry Williams Award
    * /Man of the Year/ at Vicksburg in 1963
    * Harry S. Truman <http://www.answers.com/topic/harry-s-truman>
      Award for Meritorious Service in the field of Civil War History
    * Fellow of the Company of Military Historians
    * Distinguished Service Award from the Department of Interior
      <http://www.answers.com/topic/interior-minister> in 1983
    * Commendation from the Secretary of the Army
      <http://www.answers.com/topic/united-states-secretary-of-the-army>
      in 1985
    * The Civil War Preservation Trust
      <http://www.answers.com/topic/civil-war-preservation-trust>
      created the Ed Bearss Award for achievements in historic
      preservation and made him the first recipient in 2001
    * Texas Star Award from the Texas Civil War Preservation Seminar in 2002

The top images on http://www.resacabattlefield.org/FoRBearssTour.htm 
probably portray him at his best - the shots of them trudging up the 
hill and seeing the amount of terrain in the next shot are awe 
inspiring! ;-) I found another image at: 
http://www.annebell.com/Vicksburg/lacircleview.jpg

Boy, I wish I could be there... :-(
Alan