Grand Canyon National Park Ranger Jeremy Childs (r) with Ed Bearss. Former NPS Chief Historian, and namesake of the Bearss Fellowship/NPS

A ranger at Grand Canyon National Park who searches for untold stories from the past has received the 2020 Edwin C. Bearss History Fellowship. 

Jeremy Childs is a member of the park's interpretation division at the South Rim Village. He is working full time at Grand Canyon National Park while completing a master's degree in history from Arizona State University.

Childs attributes his academic focus of 'unsilencing' figures in history and providing them with a voice to inspiring him to think about history differently and dig deeper into stories that are often overlooked. Utilizing the park's research library and archival records, he's focused his research on Grand Canyon and the National Park Service.

Last year, Childs developed and presented an evening program honoring the 150th anniversary of the Powell Expedition, the first known traverse of the Colorado River in 1869.

"Much of the expedition is accredited to John Powell, so I wanted to feature the stories of the nine crewmembers, not only during the 96-day trip, but before and after it too," added Childs.

Childs is looking forward to kicking off a new evening program this summer and completing his master's in October. The evening program will be a lantern-led walk through the Grand Canyon National Park Pioneer Cemetery, providing a tour of the National Park Service via six former NPS park superintendents interred there.

Childs transferred to Grand Canyon in May 2017, from Stones River National Battlefield, Tennessee, where he previously worked with Edwin Bearss on various occasions.

"I know and respect his work, so to be suggested in his company is quite an honor," said Childs.

Historian Frances Kennedy recently called to congratulate Childs for his winning application. Kennedy and her husband, the late NPS Director Roger Kennedy, endowed the fellowship in honor of Edwin Bearss, who served as NPS Chief Historian from 1981 to 1994. The Kennedys' generous gift supports NPS employees' graduate-level studies in American History or American Studies and is administered in partnership with the National Park Foundation.