On Tuesday, Jan. 17, the Scottsdale Civil War Roundtable will host "A Celebration of the Life of Ed Bearss" with featured speaker Terry Winschel, who recently retired as chief historian of Vicksburg National Military Park.

Edwin Bearss was chief historian of the National Park Service from 1981 to 1994, a sought-after battlefield tour guide, a key figure in the battlefield preservation movement and one of the featured historians in the famous Ken Burns documentary on the Civil War, a press release explained.

Bearss’s booming voice, vivid descriptions and unique delivery set him apart from everyone else as a tour guide and made for a memorable experience for anyone he encountered, with Smithsonian Magazine referring to him as a “rock star”.

For 20 years, Bearss, who passed in 2020, made an appearance each January at the Scottsdale Civil War Roundtable, helping it become one of the largest roundtables in America.

This event is being held to show the Roundtable’s appreciation for Ed and to honor his legacy as a Civil War historian, a World War Two Marine veteran severely wounded in the Pacific and as an unforgettable American figure, the release stated.

Speaker Terry Winschel succeeded Bearss as chief historian at Vicksburg and was a long-time friend. Winschel, an accomplished historian and tour guide, will share his reminiscences in “Edwin C. Bearss: An Historian’s Tribute”.

The event will begin at 5 p.m. in the Copper Auditorium located on the lower level of the Civic Center branch of the Scottsdale Public Library. Doors open at 4 p.m. Come early to watch a video about Bearss, meet Winschel, members and guests.

The meeting will also be available on Zoom. The meeting’s ID is 840 1300 1960, and the passcode is 824559.

The Scottsdale Civil War Roundtable holds meetings every month from September through May. All are welcome to attend the lectures free of charge. Speakers are well-known Civil War experts from around the country.

For information and the current schedule, visit www.scottsdalecwrt.org.