The Olustee Battle Festival

Title Sponsor of 2009 Event is FIRST FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK OF FLORIDA in association with Suwannee Valley Community Foundation.
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2008 Olustee Battle Festival Guest Author Dr. Michael Bradley

Michael R. Bradley is a native of the Tennessee-Alabama state line region near Fayetteville, Tennessee.  He attended Samford University for his B. A., took a Masters of Divinity at New Orleans Seminary, and a M. A. and the Ph. D. from Vanderbilt University, graduating there in 1970. 

For thirty six years Dr. Bradley taught United States History at Motlow College, a Tennessee Board of Regents junior college near Tullahoma.  He retired in May 2006.
He has been pastor of two Presbyterian churches in Middle Tennessee, LaVergne Presbyterian from 1968 to 1976 and Clifton Presbyterian from 1977 t0 2006.

Dr. Bradley is the author of several books on the War Between the States period including Tullahoma: The 1863 Campaign; With Blood and Fire: Behind Union Lines in Middle Tennessee; Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Escort & Staff in War and Peace; and It Happened in the Civil War.  He also writes on other topics including the Revolutionary War, the Great Smoky Mountains, and historical stories.

In 2006 Dr. Bradley was elected Commander of the Tennessee Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.  He is a Life Member of that organization.

Dr. Bradley is married to Martha Rae Dobbins Bradley.  They are the parents of two adult children, Nancy Todd Bradley Warren and Michael Lee Bradley.  Dr. and Mrs. Bradley have one grandson, William Andrew Warren.

Mary Fears, a retired Volusia County school media specialist, graduated from Bethune-Cookman College and Florida State University. After having earned a B.S Degree and Masters in Library and Information Science, she has become a professional storyteller, genealogist, and author of four books: The Jackson-Moore Family History and Genealogy. Slave Ancestral Research, It's Something Else.* Julie's Journey*. (an inspirational memoir about her daughter, Julie Anderson) and Civil War and Living History Reenacting About "People of Color" How to Begin - What to Wear - Why Reenact.* The author's fourth writing project involved research into the services rendered by "people of color" in the Civil War. As for all the educational storytelling programs she presents, knowledge gained from the research for the Reenactment book has become a part of her storytelling programs. Mrs. Fears specializes in telling stories based upon historic documents rather than fictionalized versions of African-American history. Mrs. Fears has presented genealogy lectures at local, state and national genealogy conferences. For over 30 years. she has presented storytelling performances in numerous colleges, universities, schools, museums, and historic sites supported by civic, social and religious organizations. She is committed to telling African-American history stories for the education of all listeners, adults and students.