I remember a long time ago (early 90's) a fiend and I were in Vicksburg and visited the National Park visitors center. We arrived to find a large crowd outside around a show and tell area they have with cannon tubes and a constructed trench to show how one would look during the war. The speaker there was Ed Bearss. It was my first time experiencing him. It was really good needless to say. I know why "After his retirement in 1995, he received the title Chief Historian Emeritus". I later saw him speak on a subject near and dear to my collecting: The USS Cairo. It was at the Atlanta Civil War Round Table. He truly belongs on the "Remembering The Great Ones" list and will be missed.