SPECIAL GUESTS – HISTORICON 2011

Guests of Honor & Featured Guests

HISTORICON is the biggest of HMGS East’s three conventions, and therefore naturally has the largest number of Guests of Honor and Featured Guests. From authors, artists, rules and scenarios designers, gaming and hobby VIPs, these guests will be hosting seminars and/or games during the convention. The following are this year’s Guests of Honor and Featured Guests, who will be hosting seminars – with some also hosting games – at the convention. [For more information, see Events (PEL) link for details after May 15th.]

GUESTS OF HONOR

The following are the Guests of Honor for this year’s convention.

René Chartrand – Guest of Honor: Former Chief Curator, Parks Canada, Ottawa , worked for nearly three decades of experience as a curator of specialized in military history in Canada ’s National Historic Sites. Mr. Chartrand worked on the development and restoration of most of Canada ’s historic forts. He has also been attached to the Department of National Defense by ministerial request. He is also the author of over 30 books dealing on a broad range of military subjects pertaining to the Americas and Western Europe , and is also a lecturer to military, academic and specialized audiences in North America and Europe. Educated in Montreal, Boston, and Nassau, Bahamas, he has carried out extensive research in archives, libraries, museums and historic sites in Canada, the United States, France, England, Spain and Portugal. Currently, Mr. Chartrand acts as a consultant for the development of military historic sites and museums. He also occasionally serves as historical advisor for documentaries. Mr. Chartrand is currently a governor of the Company of Military Historians and its vice president for publications. Mr. Chartrand will be presenting a series of five theme-related seminars about Light troops in French and British armies, c.1650s-1760s: Beginnings to the Age of Louis XIV (Thurs. 5 PM); New France – Light Troops in Frontier Warfare, 1680-1740 (Fri. 3 PM); Frederick the Great (Fri. 8 PM); Triumph and Its Limits – The Battle of the Monongahela, 9 July 1755 (Sat. 3:30 PM); Anglo-American Light Troops in the 18th Century (Sat. 8 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 12th. Plus Mr. Chartrand will be available for book signings at the Osprey Publishing, Ltd. booth; see onsite program for details.

Colonel David M. Glantz – Guest of Honor: Served for over 30 years in various field artillery, intelligence, teaching and research assignments in Europe and Vietnam; taught at the U.S. Military Academy, Combat Studies Institute, and the U.S. Army War College; founded and directed the U.S. Army’s Foreign (Soviet) Military Studies Office, and established and currently edits The Journal of Slavic Military Studies. Has written or co-authored more than 60 books and self-published studies and atlases, as well as hundreds of articles on Soviet military strategy, intelligence, and deception and the history of the Red (Soviet) Army, Soviet (Russian) military history and WWII. Colonel Glantz will be presenting four seminars at this year’s convention, all under the general title of “Operation Blau: The German Advance on Stalingrad, 1942”, as follows: Preliminaries to Operation Blau and Blu I and II, 1 Apr.-23 July (Thurs. 3 PM); Operations in the “Great Bend” of the Don River and Between the Done and Volga Rivers, 22 July-2 Sept. (Fri. 9 AM); The Struggle for Stalingrad’s Suburbs and Center City, 3 Sept.-5 Oct. (Sat. 4 PM); The Largest Tank Battle in History? (Sun. 9 AM); The Struggle for Stalingrad’s Factory District, 6 Oct. - 18 Nov. (Sun. 11 AM); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 15th.

John Hill – Guest of Honor: In the field of tactical wargame designs, few designers have had as much innovative impact as John Hill. In the 1970s, John started his own company, The Conflict Game Company, to design and publish tactical and operational games that broke from traditional wargame mechanics such as Verdun, Overlord, Kasserine Pass, and Bar-Lev. John decided that he preferred to design wargames rather than run a business, so he sold the company to Game Designers’ Workshop and became a freelance wargame designer. From that point on, John’s designs for Avalon Hill, SPI, SDC and others, became noted benchmarks for their innovative approaches to simulating unique tactical situations. In 1977, John designed Squad Leader for Avalon Hill. Squad Leader broke the mold for how tactical combat was portrayed on the gaming board, and the impact of Squad Leader – which has had more “expansion kits” than any other wargame – is still felt today. Some of John’s awards included being the first freelance wargame designer inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame (1979), along with Charles Roberts and H.G. Wells awards for best tactical wargames (1977, 1983) and the readers of Campaign Magazine selected Squad Leader in 1980 as the “Best Wargame of All Time.” To the historical miniature wargamer, John is best known for his Johnny Reb miniature rules for the American Civil War period. After 25 years, Johnny Reb – now into its third edition – remain as popular as ever. In the 1980s, John’s flair for innovative tactical simulation brought him to the attention of the Government’s Defense and Intelligence Communities, and for the next 16 years he worked for the government as a senior military analyst. Following a final four year tour at Los Alamos National Laboratory, John retired from classified government work and is currently working with today’s wargame companies to update and republish many of his older designs and to, once again, explore new directions in tactical simulation. Mr. Hill will be presenting three seminars on the American Civil War at this year’s convention: A Fresh Look at Bull Run (Thurs. 4 PM); The American Civil War in the Southwest (Fri. 11 AM); Ben Butler – The Union’s Most Underrated General (Sat. 1 PM); and will be part of a panel on The Largest Tank Battle in History? (Sun. 9 AM); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 15th.

William B. Protz, Jr. – Guest of Honor: Bill started the hobby as a board gamer in the 1960s. The decade was not over before he branched out into historical miniatures wargaming. His first miniatures were Jack Scruby Seven Years' War (SYW) 20mms. He continues his life-long passion for the SYW to this day. Bill founded the Seven Years’ War Association and Journal in 1982, remaining at the helm for a decade. He’s written articles for Wargamer’s Digest, MWAN, The Courier, The Journal of The Seven Years' War Association and Battlegames. Published wargame rules include Wargamer's Guide To The English Civil War, Drums of War Along The Mohawk and his brand new magnum opus, Batailles de l'Ancien Régime 1740-1763 (BAR). BAR's multi-brigade dynamics are visually stunning, fun, easy and historical. Mr. Protz (with Mr. Jim Purky) will be presenting a theme seminar about new ways to form miniatures for battle – How To Deploy Seven Years’ War Battalions and Brigades (Fri. 4 PM) , plus three theme games of BAR – Seven Years’ War: Austria versus Prussia (Thur. 6 PM), Seven Years’ War: BYOM – Bring Your Own Miniatures (Fri. 6 PM), Seven Years’ War: Hold Until Relieved! (Sat. 10 AM ). You may visit Bill's Old Regime Rules website – www.oldregimerules.com – or email him at oldregmerules@msn.com.

Jim Purky – Guest of Honor: A ctive wargamer for 20 years, introduced to the hobby at the HMGS Midwest’s Little Wars convention in 1985, where a particularly colorful game featuring the Seven Years’ War (SYW) caught his eye and Jim has been an avid enthusiast of Eighteenth Century warfare ever since. Jim joined the Seven Years War Association (SYWA) and credits this collegial band of brothers for his grounding in user-friendly wargame rules, spectacular “big battalion” games and detailed terrain that he continues to use to this day. He also credits the late Peter Gilder and several visits to the Wargame Holiday Centre in the UK as having a similar influence on his approach to the hobby. Jim ran a series of “Leuthen Day” mega wargames during the mid-1990s that recreated Leuthen, Kolin and two hypothetical SYW scenarios loosely based on the terrain and events at Antietem and Waterloo, although with an 18th Century twist. These Leuthen Day games featured thousands of 25mm figures and 20-30 players each. The big game concept has been revived with Jim’s annual Old School Wargamers game day in each of the past two years. Jim was editor/publisher of the Seven Years War Association Journal 1991-99, accumulated an extensive library of books on the SYW and War of Austrian Succession, and visited a number of Fredrician SYW battle sites in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic (particular favorite sites are Leuthen, where Frederick the Great achieved his greatest victory, and Kolin, where he suffered his first major defeat; both sites are in pristine condition to this day). Jim continues to host large “big battalion” games at venues such as the SYWA Convention and Little Wars on a regular basis. Other wargaming interests include American Revolution, Napoleonic (1805-07), ACW and Late Roman Ancients, all of which are conducted in the grand manner. Mr. Purky (with Mr. Bill Protz) will be presenting a theme seminar about new ways to form miniatures for battle – How To Deploy Seven Years’ War Battalions and Brigades (Fri. 4 PM) , plus three theme “big battalion” games – Seven Years’ War: Austria versus Prussia (Thur. 6 PM), Seven Years’ War: BYOM – Bring Your Own Miniatures (Fri. 6 PM), Seven Years’ War: Hold Until Relieved! (Sat. 10 AM ). For his thoughts and musing about 18th Century wargaming, go to “The Alte Fritz Journal” (http://altefritz.blogspot.com).

FEATURED GUESTS

The following are some of the notable authors, game designers and other Hobby VIPs (in alphabetic order), who are hosting seminars – and many are also hosting games – at this year’s convention.

Charles K. Bunger: Ken has been wargaming, studying and writing about the Seven Years War since 1965. He was a founding member of the Seven Years War Association in 1977. He has been an associate editor of The Journal of The Seven Years' War Association and the former wargame magazine, the Courier. In 1971, Ken authored Tricorne, one of the first sets of wargame rules devoted solely to the Seven Years War. Ken is a member and associate of the Company of Military Historians, the Pritzker Military Library and the Newberry Research Library in Chicago. He has lectured on the Seven Years War for the history department of the University of Nebraska, and has taught at Creighton University and Northwestern University. Ken has toured the battlefields of the Seven Years War on several occasions with Professor Christopher Duffy and has led several tours himself. The latest was a tour of the SYW battlefields in western Germany. Ken has practiced law in Omaha and Chicago for 35 years and currently is concentrating on land use and finance law in Omaha, Nebraska. He is the President of the State of Nebraska Historical Society. Ken has also worked as a loaned public employee for the United States Agency for International Development in the Ukraine on several occasions helping municipalities develop governance and economic policies. Mr. Bunger will be presenting one theme seminar: Seven Years’ War in Europe (Sat. 11 AM ); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 15th.

Frank Chadwick: Founded Game Designers' Workshop in 1972, and was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in 1984. Chadwick has more than sixty published games to his credit, and his Desert Shield Factbook (1991) reached number one on the New York Times bestseller list. Mr. Chadwick will be presenting three seminars about ‘First Acts’, the opening campaigns a larger war, at this year’s convention: Turkey’s Remarkable Victory: The Crimean War’s 1853 Danube Campaign (Thurs. 5 PM); 1757 – Year of Battle: The First Campaign of the Seven Years’ War (Sat. 10 AM); Poland Is Still Free! – Polish Armed Forces in 1939 (Sat. 2 PM ); and will be part of a panel on The Largest Tank Battle in History? (Sun. 9 AM); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 15th.

Simone Drinkwater: Marketing and New Business Director of Casemate, the fastest-growing military history publisher and distributor (previously Business Development Manager, and former Commissioning Editor, at Osprey Publishing). Simone will be hosting a seminar to talk about Casemate in more detail and provide you with exclusive highlights of future publications: Casemate Seminar: Exclusive Insights Into The Military Book World (Sat. 12:30 PM ); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 15th. As Casemate are also distributors for a number of other military publishers, including Histoire & Collections, Pen and Sword, Foundry, Greenhill Books and Heimdal, amongst others, you can be sure to find out everything there is to know about the developments of the military book world! If this wasn’t enough, there will also be the chance to find out more about becoming an author, the opportunity to suggest ideas for new titles, and even put in your request for any out-of-print books you would like to see reprinted.

John Dunn: An associate professor of History at Valdosta State University, where he teaches courses on World Military History, the Islamic World, and Slavic Europe. Author of numerous articles and Khedive Ismail’s Army (2005), he studies military affairs in 19th-20th Century Egypt, Poland , and China. Mr. Dunn will be presenting a seminar on Killing for Budda – The Tibetan Army, 1911-50 (Sat. 7 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 15th.

Bob Fulton: Bob is a Human Resources professional with over 25 years of experience, and who manages his own consulting firm; however, he has a love of early modern European history, religion, military affairs and wargaming. The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries are of particular interest to him, and he is almost an expert on Frederick the Great and his campaigns. Bob is a graduate student of history at Northern Illinois University working on his M.A. with plans to continue on for his Ph.D. in History. Bob tries, in his spare time, to attend a number of conventions each year. This is his first year attending HISTORICON, and will be presenting a theme seminar: Frederick the Great…oh Really? (Sat. 1 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 15th.

Lester W. Grau – Guest of Honor: Military Analyst for the Foreign Military Studies Office at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Graduate, U.S. Army’s Defense Language Institute (Russian) and U.S. Army's Institute for Advanced Russian and Eastern European Studies. Retired Lt.-Colonel, US Army, 1992 (combat tour in Vietnam, four European tours, a Korean tour and a posting in Moscow); military education included the Infantry Officers Basic and Advanced Courses, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Air Force War College. Traveled to the Soviet Union and Russia over forty times, and a frequent visitor to the Asian subcontinent – especially Pakistan and Afghanistan. Visited Iraq in October 2003, and is the recent CENTCOM Fellow. Published 100+ articles and studies on tactical, operational and geopolitical subjects. His books: The Bear Went Over the Mountain: Soviet Combat Tactics in Afghanistan (1996), The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War (co-authored with Ali Jalali, 1998), The Soviet-Afghan War: How a Superpower Fought and Lost (2001), and currently working on a book about the U.S. and coalition effort in Afghanistan centered on Operation Anaconda. Mr. Grau will be presenting three seminars at this year’s convention: Ground Combat in the Clouds: Mountain Warfare Tactical and Operational Considerations (Thurs. 1:30 PM); Withdrawal Without Leaving Chaos: The Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan (Fri. 9 AM); Patterns and Predictability: A Soviet View of Operation Linebacker II during the Vietnam War (Sat. 9 AM); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 15th.

Dana Lombardy: Associate Editor for Armchair General online. Best known for his multiple award-winning Streets of Stalingrad board wargame (three separate editions since first released in 1979), and for his nearly twenty television appearances, including multiple episodes of The History Channel’s “Tales of the Gun” series. Lombardy has contributed as an editor, cartographer, graphic artist and designer on many books, games and magazines, and was Publisher of Napoleon Journal from 1996-2000. Mr. Lombardy will be presenting two seminars at this year’s convention: Secret Turning Points of the Napoleonic Wars (Thurs. 2 PM ); Secret Turning Points of the American Civil War (Sat. 11 AM ); and will be hosting a panel on The Largest Tank Battle in History? (Sun. 9 AM); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 15th.

Doug MacGregor: Doug is the museum educator at Fort Pitt Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up outside of Pittsburgh and has enjoyed history since he was a child. He completed his BA degree at Slippery Rock University and Master’s at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He concentrated his studies on the colonial and revolutionary eras and completed his thesis on John Connolly, leader of the Virginia action at Pittsburgh and a loyalist through the American Revolution. Doug has been at the Fort Pitt Museum since 2002, and helped design the new exhibits and directs the educational programs. He has written a book and several articles on historical topics related to western Pennsylvania. Mr. MacGregor will be presenting a theme seminar on War for Empire in Western Pennsylvania (Fri. 6 PM ); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 15th.

James W. McIntyre: Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and attended Temple University, studying under the late Russell F. Weigley. Jim then went on to take his MA in History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His primary research interest is the American War of Independence. He has presented numerous research papers on different aspects of the conflict, and is currently working on a book-length study of the role of the riflemen in it. Mr. McIntyre will be presenting a seminar on The Role of the Riflemen in the American War of Independence – A Reassessment (Sat. 5:30 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 15th.

Peter F. Panzeri Jr. US Army, Combat Infantry Veteran: Pete is best known for his award-winning book Little Big Horn 1876: Custer's Last Stand (in its 9th printing since 1996). His military career includes earning the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and Bronze Star in Iraq, and several teaching assignments as Chief of Military History at the US Army Infantry School, Tactics Chief at the Military Intelligence School, and at the US Military Academy, West Point Prep. Pete has also published Santa Anna Rules! Warfare in Mexico 1820-1870 and Plains War Campaigns (available via LMW Works Publications – (http://classicalhack.com/article/products/0064/14/). Pete’s other roles include founding www.jodiecon.org, President of Historical Miniatures Gaming Society East (www.hmgs.org), three years as Academy Chair for Origins Awards, Academy of Adventure Games Art and Design, (aagad.originsgames.com), faculty for the Origins War College and the Origins StrategiCorps program; see: www.originsgames.com. Presenting two seminars – Heroes and Losers from 30-Years-a-Soldier (Fri. 9:30 PM ), and will be part of a panel on The Largest Tank Battle in History? (Sun. 9 AM ); plus hosting two games: Texas Petey’s Alamo Adventure (Thurs. Noon); Retreat from Krasnovin: SYW Eastern-Front (Sat. 8 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 15th.

Rick Parrish: Rick has History degrees from Augusta College, Georgia Southern University, and Florida State University. He teaches European History at Brevard Community College (full time) and the University of Central Florida (adjunct). Currently, he is trying to finish up a biography on Jacques Etienne Macdonald, Marshal of France. Mr. Parrish will be presenting a seminar on General Macdonald’s Crossing of the Alps in 1800 (Fri. 12:30 PM ); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 15th.

Dr. Walter Powell: Executive Director of the Conococheague Institute in Welsh Run, Franklin County, Pennsylvania – a small rural museum and library with a focus on the colonial period in the lower Cumberland Valley and the "Valley of the Conococheague." Prior to joining the Conococheague Institute, Dr. Powell served as Director of Planning and Historic Preservation for the Borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for 17 years, where he directed the restoration of the historic Gettysburg Railroad Station (built 1858) and was the Borough's representative to the National Park Service project team that is restoring the David Wills House (where President Abraham Lincoln completed the Gettysburg Address). Dr. Powell holds an M.A. in History and a Ph.D. in American Literature from Kent State University, and has written and lectured widely on a number of colonial American history topics. He has a longstanding interest in the French and Indian War, serving as President of the Braddock Road Preservation Association at Jumonville since 1990. The BRPA's popular annual French and Indian War seminar at Jumonville, held the first weekend of November, is the oldest such event in the country – now in its 20th year – an event which Dr. Powell founded and directs. Dr. Powell resides in Gettysburg with his wife Susan and children Nathaniel and Sarah Ellen. Dr. Powell will be presenting two theme seminars: "Where the Leaf Falls, Let it Rot" – Captain Robert Cholmely and the Braddock Campaign of 1755 (Fri. 11 AM); The Road to Empire: The Building of the Forbes Road and the Forbes Campaign of 1758 (Fri. 7 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 15th.

Richard Sullivan: Marketing Director from Osprey Publishing returns to HISTORICON to keep you up-to-date on new developments at Osprey. He’ll be hosting a seminar – Osprey Insights: From Development to the Latest Publications (Fri. 12:30 PM ) – to talk about the company in more detail and to give you some sneak previews of new titles. Topics will include how Osprey makes their publishing decisions, what is the best way to submit a synopsis if you are interested in becoming an author, a chance for you to suggest new title ideas, what their bestsellers are, who to contact with about new title ideas and news on the latest online developments. Plus there will be information on the new army lists coming out in the Field of Glory wargaming rules series! Osprey (and friends) will also run demos of the new Ancients and Medieval rules – Field of Glory – from Slitherine, and a Tournament; see Events (PEL) link at left after May 15th under Games and Tournaments for full details. Attendees should also plan to stop by the Osprey Publishing info booth located on the balcony in the Expo Hall to enter daily giveaway contests for HISTORICON – a great way to get free Osprey books!

Gerald D. Swick: Senior online editor for www.ArmchairGeneral.com and www.HistoryNet.com, has written for print encyclopedias and Web pages, and edited books on a variety of topics. His articles about history have appeared in Blue Ridge Country, Lincoln Lore, and numerous gaming magazines, and his weekly history column has been entertaining newspaper readers for 10 years. He's here to share his experience and answer your questions – and maybe give you an assignment to write for www.ArmchairGeneral.com! Mr. Swick will be presenting a seminar on How to Write History (without putting people to sleep!) (Thurs. 3 PM) see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 15th.

Martin West: Martin is the director of Fort Ligonier, a museum and restored/reconstructed British fort, 1758-1766, in southwestern Pennsylvania. He is an adjunct lecturer of history at the University of Pittsburgh, serves on the Advisory Council of George Washington Scholars, Mount Vernon, Virginia, and edited/annotated Washington's autobiography memoir in George Washington Remembers: Reflections on the French and Indian War. Mr. West will be presenting two theme seminars: The World Ablaze: An Introduction to the Seven Years' War (Fri. 4:30 PM); Fort Ligonier: Outpost of the British Empire (Sat. 2:30 PM); see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 15th.

Steven J. Zaloga: Steve is the author of over a 100 books on military history and military technology, and is a frequent contributor to the Osprey Publishing series including New Vanguard, Campaigns and Fortress. He has also written over 50 TV documentaries on military technology. He is a senior analyst with the Teal Group Corp., and covers missile and UAV technology as well as the international arms trade for clients in the defense industry and government. Presenting a seminar on German Defenses at Omaha Beach (Fri. 2 PM ), using new research, including newly discovered German maps; see Events (PEL) link at left for full details after May 15th.