Deborah Fitts

Richmond, Mass. - Deborah Whittier Fitts of Richmond, 63, beloved wife of Clark B. Hall, and the assistant editor of the Civil War News, died July 17, of breast cancer, at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass.

Ms. Fitts was born on July 6, 1945, in Boston. She was the daughter of Cornelia H. Fitts and the late Dudley Fitts, a teacher at Phillips Academy in Andover, where she was raised. She graduated cum laude from Abbot Academy and was a 1967 graduate of Smith College. Ms. Fitts had a long career in journalism. After teaching first grade for eight years, at The Pike School in Andover, Mass., she served from 1978 until 1992 as the North Stonington reporter for the Westerly Sun. In 1989, she became a regular contributor to the Civil War News. In 1992, she was named director of communications for the Civil War Trust in Washington, D.C. Two years later, she joined the staff of the Loudoun Times-Mirror in Leesburg, Va. In 1999, she became the assistant editor of the Civil War News, while continuing to write for the Loudoun newspaper and many other publications, including the Andover Bulletin, the alumni magazine of Phillips Academy in Andover. She joined the staff of the Richmond Record in 2005. She won awards for her writing in Rhode Island and Virginia and was a nationally acknowledged champion of preserving threatened farmland and historic sites, including her own family farm, Oldhaven, in North Stonington. "Every individual with more than a passing interest in Civil War history was aware of Deborah's byline and knew it stood for quality reporting. Her monthly work for the Civil War News and in numerous other publications brought the Civil War alive for thousands of people," the Civil War Preservation Trust said in a news release after learning of her death. "Hands down, Deborah was the best and most important journalist on Civil War issues, especially preservation." She was also a trustee of The Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection in Providence, and was a member of several progressive organizations. Her avid interests included horses, Abraham Lincoln, the Boston Red Sox, and Barack Obama.

Besides her husband, and mother; she is survived by her brother, Daniel Hewitt Fitts of Haverhill, Mass.; several loving cousins; two nephews, one niece; and two step-children.

The memorial service will be private.

Those who wish to make a contribution in her memory may send it to The Nature Conservancy, Attn: Treasury, 4245 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 100, Arlington VA 22203.