In Memory of Don Pfanz: Ryan Quint

It’s a broken record from the others who have already posted their memories of Don Pfanz, but he truly was one of the kindest and most approachable historians I’ve ever met. The amount of knowledge he had at his fingertips as the keeper of the research files at the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park boggled the mind, but Don was always quick and happy to help.

I became a volunteer at the park in September 2012, so only about eight months before he retired, but I got to know him very well as I became a park employee in 2015. He stuck around town, and frequently joined the staff for night-out dinners and hangouts. Don’s jokes often left the staff in stitches, and I also remember fondly the way he got so excited to tell a story he would sometimes stutter, beginning the story one way, then changing it, and finally deciding on a third approach.

After I became a permanent ranger at the park, one of the collateral duties I inherited was to become the new keeper of the research files. It’s easy to get lost for hours (and I have) in Don’s notes regarding thousands of letters, diaries, and newspapers that park staff have copied over the years from other archives. They may not be the most objective of descriptions, but they’re Don all the way. Consider this note regarding the letters of a soldier in the 16th Connecticut: “Twenty-five letters by possibly the most vile, immoral man in the Union army. . . [He] drinks (1/19/63), curses, gambles (4/15/64), steals (9/15/64), smokes (11/16/62), and frequents prostitutes (8/29/63, 2/7/64, 9/15/64).  He constantly complains about army life, threatens to desert at the first opportunity (4/15/64), dodges duty when possible (4/22/63), and at one point alludes to eventually getting even with one of his officers.” Tell me you’re not ready to drop what you’re doing and dive into those letters?

Over the past few years, Don would occasionally stop by the visitor center, to either drop off a new book he had just finished, or to deposit a few more research files he had come across. I enjoyed catching up with him, he telling me about all the travels he had embarked on, and him asking me with deep interest what I was most recently working on. I’m going to miss his kindness, his humor, and his always-willing-to-help personality.