Annual Report

Greetings, Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Foundation Supporters!

As I look forward to the coming year as the new president of the foundation, I am reminded of my past experiences at the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield. My wife Nancy and I moved from New Orleans to Springfield in August 1988, when I joined the History Department at Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State) University.

I was caught up in preparing for my new job, teaching the history of the Civil War and American Military History. Although I had never been to Wilson’s Creek, I imagined that it could be an asset for someone with my area of study. I did not, however, anticipate that I would spend the last thirty-six years developing such a special relationship with the battlefield, one marked by a deep understanding of the battle’s place in history and a profound respect for the National Park Service employees who make the daily operation of Wilson’s Creek possible. Added to that is my gratitude for the Volunteers in the Park, the VIPs, who provide support for the battlefield in so many ways.

I visited the battlefield for the first time in the fall of 1988, in the company of Professor Emeritus Leo Huff, whose retirement had created a job opening for me. In the years that followed I incorporated field trips to the battlefield in my courses. I learned that Wilson’s Creek has been an educational resource for groups ranging from elementary school students to officers from Fort Leonard Wood. Over the years I led field trips for Army and Air Force personnel, and for members of the Missouri and Nebraska National Guard, as well as for a wide variety of veterans groups and civic organizations. I have academic colleagues across the country who, due to their location, can visit battlefields with their students only with trips that are both time-consuming and expensive, while I had Wilson’s Creek just down the road from Missouri State. I also used the battlefield as a location for individual student internships. I never imagined that one of those students, Sarah Cunningham, would return to become the battlefield’s superintendent.

I share the above bit of personal history to help explain how proud I am to be the foundation’s president as the organization approaches its seventy-fifth year. Plans are in the works to celebrate that anniversary in a variety of ways, and you may expect information to reach you soon, but I urge you to keep up with events by frequently checking the Foundation’s Facebook page.

Sincerely,

William Garrett Piston, President

Click the Sign Up button below to become a Foundation Sponsor.

Please keep in mind that your donations are tax deductible. Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt corporation. Please consult your tax adviser for details.  You will receive an acknowledgement of your gift.