Edward Clinton Ezell (7 Nov 1939,

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

– 23 Dec 1993,

Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several County (United States), counties and independent city (United States), independent cities in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. ...

) was an American author and professor who served as National Firearms Collection curator at the

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center is a historical museum in Washington, D.C. It collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and m ...

, administered by the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

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

Background

Ezell received an A.B. from

Butler University Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study within six colleges in the arts, business, communic ...

in 1961 and M.A. from the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

two years later, where he was a Hagley Fellow. In 1969, he received his Ph.D. 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, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...

. He taught at

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...

and

Sangamon State University The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) is a public university in Springfield, Illinois, United States. The university was established by the Illinois General Assembly in 1969 as Sangamon State University with a focus on post-graduate edu ...

, Springfield, Illinois.

Publications

Ezell created the first oral histories on a pair of respected

assault rifle An assault rifle is a select fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge, intermediate-rifle cartridge and a Magazine (firearms), detachable magazine.C. Taylor, ''The Fighting Rifle: A Complete Study of the Rifle in Combat'', F.A. Moyer '' ...

designers —

Mikhail Kalashnikov Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov (10November 191923December 2013) was a Soviet and Russian lieutenant general, inventor, Military engineering, military engineer, writer, and small arms designer. He is most famous for developing the AK-47 assau ...

and

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

of the AK47 and M16 respectively. Prior to his stint with the Smithsonian Institution, Ezell was employed by the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the United States's civil space program, aeronautics research and space research. Established in 1958, it su ...

, 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