Kerrville, TX – The Houston Civil War Roundtable has announced Dr. Donald S. Frazier, Director of the Texas Center at Schreiner University, as this year’s recipient of the Vandiver Award for his work in chronicling the history of the American Civil War.

“I am humbled and honored by my friends in Houston,” said Frazier. “Researching and writing history, for me, is a great joy but is often a lonely pursuit. Having your efforts recognized is a great reward, especially coming as it does form such a distinguished and well-read group.”

The late Dr. Frank Vandiver was one of the founders of the Houston Civil War Roundtable, one of the largest such interest groups in the nation. Each year, for the past 39 years the organization has bestowed the Vandiver Award in his honor to recognize outstanding contributions to Civil War scholarship or preservation efforts by an individual or institution. Lynda Christ, the editor of the Jefferson Davis Papers at Rice University was the first recipient. Other winners include a veritable pantheon of distinguished Civil War historians and guides, including Ed Bearss, Frank O’Reilly, Don Troiani, Bud Robertson, Gordon Rhea, James McPherson, Richard Somers, Eric Jacobson, Gary Gallagher, Will Greene, and Brian Wills.

“By honoring you with the Vandiver Award, we are continuing a legacy of recognizing outstanding contributors to Civil War historiography,” wrote C. Michael Harrington, President of the Houston Civil War Roundtable.

Frazier has published several books on the American Civil War, all of which have centered on the conflict in the Trans-Mississippi, an often-overlooked scene of important action west of the mighty river. His first book, Blood and Treasure, came out in 1995 and is a telling of the Civil War in New Mexico. Since then, he has produced his Louisiana Quadrille including Fire in the Cane Field, Thunder Across the Swamp, Blood on the Bayou, and Tempest over Texas, all of which cover campaigns and events in Louisiana and Texas.

“For most folks, the Civil War is about Virginia and Tennessee, but for me is never told a complete story,” Frazier said. “I wanted to know what Texas did in the war, and what impact it had on the development of the state. Imagine my surprise that I happened to land in the middle of a Civil War topic that could use a lot more work, and I’ve spent most of my life pursuing this research.”

Frazier’s books are available at bookstores and online retailers, but some of his reflections on Texas and the Civil War are available to the public as videos on YouTube.