UnCivil Wars is a series dedicated to new ways of seeing and telling the American Civil War. Berry and series co-editor Amy Murrell Taylor work closely with authors to produce books that focus on unconventional social types and to think deeply about narrative strategy, telling their stories through memory, reverse chronology, snapshots and glimpses, multiple perspectives, or microhistory.
This new series currently has two books in it: Stephen Berry's WEIRDING THE WAR and the just-released RUIN NATION by Megan Kate Nelson. Writing for the News & Observer, John David Smith praises WEIRDING THE WAR "not because its characters exhibited oddities or peculiarities, but rather because of their intensely human, commonplace experiences, strengths and weaknesses. Their mundane stories remind us of the 'weirdness' of war generally and the connection between individuals in the past and ourselves."
UGA’s Stephen Berry named Gregory Chair in the Civil War Era
May 16, 2012
- Writer:Sam Fahmy
- Contact:Stephen Berry
Athens,
Ga. – Noted historian Stephen Berry has been named the inaugural holder
of the Amanda and Greg Gregory Chair in the Civil War Era in the
University of Georgia Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.
Berry,
the author of four books on the Civil War era, joined the university’s
department of history in 2007 and was selected as the Gregory chair
after a national search.
“I
can think of no UGA scholar more worthy of this honor than Steve
Berry,” said UGA President Michael F. Adams. “He is a historian of the
first order, and his research and writing have helped not only thousands
of students but also many people, like myself, who have an ongoing
interest in the Civil War. I am deeply grateful to the Gregorys for
their generosity to the university and support of this important
position in the history department.”
Berry’s first book, All That Makes a Man: Love & Ambition in the Civil War South (Oxford University Press, 2003) was a finalist for the 2004 Peter Seaborg Award for Civil War Scholarship. Princes of Cotton: Four Diaries of Young Men in the South, 1848‐1860 (UGA
Press and the Southern Texts Society, 2007) was described in one review
as “an extraordinary contribution to Southern history.” House of Abraham: Lincoln & the Todds, A Family Divided By War (Houghton Mifflin, 2007) was a Book of the Month Club main selection and received a Publisher’s Weekly starred review. A reviewer of Berry’s most recent book, Weirding the War: Stories from the Civil War’s Ragged Edges (2011,
UGA Press), wrote that “saying something truly new about the American
Civil War seems impossible, but here is a book that offers an explosion
of new perspectives and insights, often surprising and sometimes
disturbing.”
In addition to authoring several articles in scholarly journals, Berry has written for magazines such as Civil War Monitor and North and South.
He has given presentations at more than 20 conferences as well to
historical associations, civic groups and primary and secondary school
teachers.
“Steve
Berry has developed in a short period of time a national reputation as a
leading scholar of the Civil War era. His work brings a fresh
perspective to one of the defining periods in our nation’s history,”
said Hugh Ruppersburg, interim Franklin College dean. “The support of
the Gregorys continues to elevate a department with established
strengths in Southern history to the great benefit of our students and
faculty.”
Berry
has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities,
the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation. His honors include the Organization of American Historians
Distinguished Lecturer Award and the Parks-Heggoy Award for Excellence
in Teaching Graduate Students, which is voted on by graduate students
studying history at UGA.
In
addition to their gift to establish the Gregory Chair in the Civil War
Era, the Gregorys have supported research in Civil War era studies for
graduate students and faculty members and funded an annual lecture
series that brings prominent historians to UGA to conduct seminars with
students and to deliver a public lecture.
The
Gregorys have strong ties to UGA. Greg earned his bachelor’s degree
from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, while
Amanda received a bachelor’s degree from the College of Education. Greg
has served as a member of the Terry College of Business board of
advisers and delivered guest lectures to Terry students. He currently
serves as a trustee to the UGA Foundation and is a member of
the Franklin College Dean’s Council. In addition, he serves on the
advisory board that oversees George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate,
Museum and Gardens.
Greg
retired as president and CEO of the commercial real estate firm
Industrial Developments International in 2007, and Amanda taught in
public and private elementary schools in Atlanta for more than a decade.
Before
joining the faculty at UGA, Berry was an assistant professor at the
University of North Carolina at Pembroke. He earned his master’s and
doctoral degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
and earned his undergraduate degree in history from Rollins College.
