2018 Houston CWRT Vandiver Award

bdtex

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★★ Sr. Moderator
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Regtl. Quartermaster Chickamauga 2018 Vicksburg 2019
Joined
Jul 21, 2015
Location
Texas
Since 1982,the Houston Civil War Round Table has bestowed it's Frank E. Vandiver Award Of Merit to a deserving individual/organization. The stated purpose of the award is: "Annual recognition of an individual or an organization making a substantial contribution to the preservation of our Civil War heritage."

I joined HCWRT in December 2015. The past 2 years I have been privileged to serve on the nominating and selection committee for the HCWRT Vandiver Award. Last year's recipient was Gary Gallagher. I am happy to announce that the 2018 recipient is Dave Roth,Editor and Publisher of Blue & Gray Magazine. He will receive the award and speak to the Houston CWRT at our monthly meeting on May 17,2018. This year's President of HCWRT advised us that he is excited about receiving our Award and coming to Houston to speak to our Round Table. For more information see our website:

http://www.houstoncivilwar.com

During our Vandiver Award selection process, I came across 2 interviews of Dave Roth,one in 2009 and one in 2017. I admittedly do not have all of the B&G issues but he specifically mentions 3 of my favorite issues among the ones I do have.

https://cwba.blogspot.com/2009/04/publisher-q-david-roth-of-blue-and-gray.html?m=1

http://emergingcivilwar.com/tag/conversation-with-dave-roth/
 
He was here last night. Very gracious and humble man. Three of us brought a few issues of B & G Magazine for him to sign. He said he had never been asked to do that before. A handful of us went and had beverages with him for awhile afterwards. Fantastic night.

IMG_20180517_202517252.jpg
 
I got a nice surprise in the mail this morning. It was a package from Blue & Gray Magazine. I was a bit mystified at first. I couldn't remember placing an order that had not been received. I opened it and it was 2 copies of the Port Hudson back issue. He had specifically mentioned that issue in a 2017 interview he did with Chris Mackowski. When he has in Houston I talked with him a good few minutes about that issue and even got him to sign mine. I told him about how much I used it on 3 of my 4 visits to Port Hudson,that there were/are no better maps of Port Hudson than in the B&G issue and that I had bought 4 of them and had given 2 away to try to generate some interest in Port Hudson. He jokingly mentioned the stack of unsold Port Hudson issues he had and that he had noticed a spike(me :smile:) in sales. He talked about how/why the state of Louisiana not allowing it to be sold at the Port Hudson Visitor Center. There's no gift shop there or at Mansfield. Anyway,he musta been reading my mind. I was already gonna order another copy of it to give to a fellow CW enthusiast who lives in Fort Worth. He's quite the storyteller and putting that issue in his hands will guarantee another dozen or so people learning something about Port Hudson.

Also in the package was a long sold out B&G Special Issue on Vicksburg's 140th Anniversary. He put a note in it and said he found it and thought I might want it. I'm saving the note. Heckuva guy.
 
I truly hate to see B&G gone - it was towards the end simply the best source for maps on many battles, especially more obscure ones. Fortunately, I discovered on my recent "Excursion" that many NPS visitor centers still have a good stock of many back issues, and I was able to add several to my collection, including the three recent issues on the Chancellorsville Campaign which I read prior to composing my thread here earlier this month. Currently, I'm re-reading the two on Shiloh from the 135th Anniversary to prepare for my next trip, and although the maps aren't as detailed as those in newer issues, they are still helpful in a more general way.
 
Fortunately, I discovered on my recent "Excursion" that many NPS visitor centers still have a good stock of many back issues, and I was able to add several to my collection, including the three recent issues on the Chancellorsville Campaign which I read prior to composing my thread here earlier this month.
I noticed that at Corinth last summer too. I was able to pick up 2 issues that were and are no longer available on the B&G website. The 3 most recent issues on Chancellorsville are still available on the website,but you picked them up much cheaper if you got them at the Chancellorsville NPS Visitor Center. The 2 I bought at Corinth were $7.95/apiece as I recall. The Chancellorsville issues are $9.95 apiece plus tax and shipping on the B&G website.
 
I noticed that at Corinth last summer too. I was able to pick up 2 issues that were and are no longer available on the B&G website. The 3 most recent issues on Chancellorsville are still available on the website,but you picked them up much cheaper if you got them at the Chancellorsville NPS Visitor Center. The 2 I bought at Corinth were $7.95/apiece as I recall. The Chancellorsville issues are $9.95 apiece plus tax and shipping on the B&G website.
The two Chancellorsville issues (plus the third one about Second Fredericksburg/Salem Church) were whatever the cover price was - &7.95 I believe. The visitor center at Stones River still had copies of their Special Issue, autographed by the ranger who had written the text for it.
 
The visitor center at Stones River still had copies of their Special Issue, autographed by the ranger who had written the text for it.
I wish now that I had picked that up when I was there last June. We spent a whole day and saw a lot in Murfreesboro though and I don't anticipate going back there for awhile.
 
Two interesting back issues I have aren't about battles or battlefields at all - instead they include walking tours of two notable Civil War-rea towns, Winchester and Vicksburg.
 
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