Edward Clinton Ezell (1939–1993)

Abstract

Memorial EDWARD CLINTON EZELL (1939-1993) ARTHUR P. MOLELLA It is difficult to go anywhere in the National Museum of American History without seeing some imprint of Edward Ezell, who served for twelve years as supervisory curator of the Division of Armed Forces History. From the back rooms that housed his massive collec­ tions in military history to the exhibit halls that reflected his fresh new look at the lives of ordinary soldiers, the Smithsonian museum has been vastly altered by Ed’s strong presence. Perhaps even more important was the way Ed lifted the spirits of everyone who worked with him. His limitless energy, his enthusiasm for history, and his dedication to public service were an inspiration. For me personally, it was especially painful that Ed did not see the opening of “Science in American Life,” just four months away when he died. Over the years that I labored with colleagues on this exhibit, I looked to Ed for administrative, intellectual, and moral support. Even as his cancer progressed, his support and wise counsel contin­ ued unabated. It seemed impossible that he would not be there when the job was done, and, at the opening, I was sure I heard a familiar bass voice offering congratulations. Ed Ezell was born and grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. His mother came from a well-to-do family who once owned hotels in that city but lost their property and money in the Depression. His father, originally from Kentucky, was an inspector for the Agriculture De­ partment. As Ed told it, his father met his mother when she was working as a switchboard operator in one of the hotels formerly owned by her family. A world-renowned expert in firearms, Ed began to learn about his subject as a boy who, like many Midwesterners, grew up around guns and was fascinated by the way they worked. Although never a hunter, Ed liked to go shooting in the Indiana countryside. The passion for shooting and experimenting with guns of all kinds stayed with him throughout his life. Dr. Molella is head of the Department of History at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Permission to reprint a memorial may be obtained only from the author. 445 446 Arthur P. Molella At Butler University in Indianapolis, Ed began to shape an adoles­ cent hobby into a future career, studying military history and gradu­ ating with honors in 1961. The emergence of the field of the history of technology just at that time allowed him to develop his interests in new directions, particularly in the area of technical processes, while indulging his lifelong love of tinkering with mechanisms. In 1961, Ed entered the Hagley program at the University of Delaware and two years later received his master’s degree in American industrial history with a master’s thesis on Civil War cannon. In 1969, he earned a doctorate in the history of technology from Case Institute of Tech­ nology, studying with Melvin Kranzberg, Carroll Pursell, and Edwin Layton, among others. His dissertation on the evolution of the M-16 rifle became the basis for his 1984 book, The Great Rifle Controversy: Search for the Ultimate Infantry Rifle from World War II to Vietnam and Beyond. This study carried into the mid-20th century one of the en­ during themes in the history of technology—the critical role played by arms industries in the evolution of the nation’s manufacturing practices. Placing the history of firearms in the broader context of the history of technology was one of Ed’s major contributions to his field of study. From 1966 to 1972, Ed taught the history of science and technology at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, and at Sangamon State University in Springfield, Illinois. In 1968, he married Holly Everding , who died in 1971. Soon after her death, Ed left teaching and spent two years in Singapore, working for the gun collector Sam Cummings as head of Interarms’ Southeast Asia branch. Ed roamed the region in search of antique guns, successfully mining the legacies of imperialism and unearthing many British weapons of late-19thcentury vintage. Although only a brief interlude in his career, Ed’s...