Edward Clinton Ezell (7 Nov 1939,

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

– 23 Dec 1993,

Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is a widespread region radiating westward and southward from Washington, D.C. Wit ...

)https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JRKK-VY4 was an American author and professor who served as National Firearms Collection curator at the National Museum of American History, administered by the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

. He was also founding Director of the Institute for Research on Small Arms in International Security.

Background

Ezell received an

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from

Butler University Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study in six colleges: the Lacy School of Business, College of Communic ...

in 1961 and

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 ma ...

two years later, where he was a Hagley Fellow. In 1969, he received his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in the history of science and technology from

Case Institute of Technology Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location i ...

. He taught at North Carolina State University and Sangamon State University, Springfield, Illinois.

Publications

Ezell created the first oral histories on a pair of respected assault rifle designers —

Mikhail Kalashnikov Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov ( rus, Михаи́л Тимофе́евич Кала́шников, p=kɐˈlaʂnʲɪkəf; 10 November 1919 – 23 December 2013) was a Soviet and Russian lieutenant general, inventor, military engineer, writer, a ...

and

Eugene Stoner Eugene Morrison Stoner (November 22, 1922 – April 24, 1997) was an American firearms designer who is most associated with the development of the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle that was redesigned and modified by Colt's Patent Firearm Company (now known ...

of the

AK47 The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms de ...

and M16 respectively. Prior to his stint with the Smithsonian Institution, Ezell was employed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, beginning in 1974, to write about space projects. Publications include ''The Partnership: a history of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project''. The co-author, Linda Neuman Ezell, was also involved in writing ''On Mars: Exploration of the Red Planet''. Other publications include: * ''Small Arms of the World'' * ''Personal Firepower'' * ''Combat Handguns'' (co-authored with George C. Nonte) * ''The Black Rifle: M16 Rifle Retrospective'' * ''The AK47 Story: Evolution of the Kalashnikov Weapons'' * ''The Great Rifle Controversy: Search for the Ultimate Infantry Rifle from World War II to Vietnam and Beyond'' * ''Small Arms Today'' * ''Handguns of the World'' * ''Reflections on the Wall: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial'' * ''The Partnership: A History of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project'' His book ''Small Arms of the World'' is considered a standard reference on military pistols, rifles, submachineguns, and light machineguns.

References

External links

Mini-biography on Ezell at the Smithsonian
1939 births Writers from Indianapolis Butler University alumni University of Delaware alumni Case Western Reserve University alumni North Carolina State University faculty University of Illinois at Springfield faculty 1993 deaths 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers Historians of weapons {{US-historian-stub