Berkeley Springs resident Dr. Edward Steers Jr. will be honored this evening with “The Spirit of Lincoln Award” from the Abraham Lincoln Association of Springfield, Illinois in award ceremony to be held locally.
The Abraham Lincoln Association (ALA) decided by unanimous vote of the Board of Directors to confer “The Spirit of Lincoln Award” to Dr. Edward Steers, Jr. of Berkeley Springs.
Dr. Steers is a nationally-known authority on U. S. President Abraham Lincoln. He has authored or edited numerous articles and books on the sixteenth president, including “Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln,” published by the University of Press of Kentucky in 2001.
In 2010, Dr. Steers authored “The Lincoln Assassination Encyclopedia” published by Harper Perennial. In 2007, University Press of Kentucky published “Lincoln Legends: Myths, Hoaxes and Confabulations.”
Dr. Steers’ research in Lincoln studies has earned him distinction among Lincoln scholars. Over many decades Steers has appeared as an expert on nationally televised Lincoln programs, the esteemed Book-notes on C-Span, Hard Cover History on the History Channel as well as other national telecasts of Lincoln programs for the general public.
In total, Steers has authored or edited 26 books covering a wide range of historical topics.
During discussions for this award the Board of Directors and nominating committee was impressed with Dr. Steers’ work on the Lincoln lecture circuit. He has been a prolific lecturer.
Over a period of several decades, Steers has delivered Lincoln lectures in New York City, Maryland, Allentown, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and numerous other venues including The National Archives of the United States and elsewhere.
Through his work in Lincoln studies, he was selected to serve on the Advisory Committee to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission which culminated with an invitation to the White House where he met President George W. Bush in 2007.
“The Spirit of Lincoln Award” recognizes individuals who have displayed the spirit of Abraham Lincoln in their professional careers for betterment of humanity. The award itself is a bust of Abraham Lincoln by Illinois sculptor John McClarey specifically created for this award. Steers will receive it this evening. 
President Lincoln and his administration were the force behind many laws that Americans still feel the effects of today. The fact that he worked to improve the lives of Americans through legislation while serving as commander-in-chief during the Civil War inspired a committee of the Abraham Lincoln Association board members to create this award.
Attorney William Shepherd, president of the association said after a unanimous vote of the Board of Directors to confer this award, “We all know and respect Dr. Ed Steers. He deserves this recognition for all he has done in bringing the Lincoln story to hundreds of thousands of people through books, articles, television, and the hundreds of Lincoln lectures he has delivered in his esteemed career.”
Former award recipients of “The Spirit of Lincoln Award” include among others, Dr. Bernice King, the daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King (2016) as well as Rita B. Garman, former Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court (2015) and Dr. Rodney Davis and Dr. Douglas Wilson of Knox University, Galesburg, Illinois.
“I know of no other Lincoln scholar in my lifetime who has done more to promote the Lincoln story to the American people,” said Joseph Garrera, Member of the association’s Executive Committee. “No one has worked harder and more resolutely. It’s hard to call Ed Steers a genius but it’s hard to call him anything but.”
Dr. Edward Steers, Jr. now takes his place among other esteemed Americans celebrated by the Abraham Lincoln Association.
