As the Joint Munitions Command ushers in a new year, it also welcomes a familiar face to a new position. Dr. Paul-Thomas Ferguson accepted the position of Command Historian for the organization in December after serving as JMC’s Archivist for more than 18 years, first as a contractor, then as a government civilian. He is just the second Command Historian in the history of JMC, following the inaugural tenure of Keri Pleasant.
“As Archivist, I was effectively deputy to the Historian for the first half of my Army career, assisting with a variety of historical duties,” Ferguson recalled. “When Keri moved to the Congressional Affairs position last year, I looked forward to the opportunity to lead JMC’s history program.”
During his time as Archivist, Ferguson played a vital role in preserving, maintaining, and cataloging historical documents and artifacts for JMC. Most significantly, he designed an archival database and spearheaded the construction of JMC’s state of the art Research Library and Archives.
“I’m thrilled Paul can continue his passion for history. As the Historian, he brings years of experience and in-depth knowledge of the ammunition business, U.S., military, and world history,” said Pleasant. “His expertise will be invaluable in documenting the annual challenges and accomplishments across the ammunition industrial base, researching Army processes and historical matters, and continuing to tell the stories of our past.”
Ferguson has deep ties to the Quad Cities community and the history field. A lifelong resident of Rock Island, he earned three history degrees, including a Ph.D. in United States, Urban, and Middle Eastern History from Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI), before returning home to teach full time at Black Hawk College (Moline, IL).
“My original goal was to be a college history professor,” Ferguson explained, “and I was fortunate to get that opportunity before my government career began.”
After joining JMC as a contractor in 2006, Ferguson became a part-time instructor at St. Ambrose University (Davenport, IA), eventually retiring from teaching at the end of 2021 after 25 years behind the desk.
Ferguson is also an active writer both in and out of the JMC Research Library. In addition to producing the Bullet’n Backstory historical newsletter and the new Bullet’n History Podcast for JMC, he spends his spare time researching and writing both fiction and nonfiction. He has published several historical novels, volumes of local history, alternative history, and study guide editions of nearly forty works of classical literature.
Going forward, Ferguson will be responsible for the duties of both the Command Historian and his former Archivist position.
“My new role will certainly be a challenge,” he admitted. “But I’m lucky to have good mentors to guide me. I’ll be proud to serve JMC as best I can for the rest of my career as an Army civilian.”
Want to check out the monthly JMC Bullet’n Backstory Publication: https://www.dvidshub.net/publication/1315/bulletn-backstory
Want to check out the quarterly JMC Bullet’n Backstory Podcast?
https://www.dvidshub.net/podcast/628/bulletn-history-podcast
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