Gary M. Whitla is the current Vice President of the Appomattox-Petersburg Preservation Society, Inc., and serves on the Organization’s Board of Directors.

The love for history was instilled in Gary at a young age. He was born and raised just 20 minutes from the site of Confederate General John Hunt Morgan’s surrender, famous for the “Longest Raid of the Civil War.” The son of a school teacher and history buff, some of his earliest memories of family vacations were to battlefields and museums across the country. Exploring these sacred fields and hallowed ground brought him closer to the fighting men of the conflict and taught him lessons that are often neglected in the classroom and fail to be transcribed in a history book.

At age 16, Gary became active in Civil War reenacting. In 2015, in commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of General Robert E. Lee’s Surrender at Appomattox Court House, he and five of his compatriots marched and retraced one of General Lee’s lines of retreat from Five Forks, Virginia, to Appomattox Court House, a trek of 99 miles, in full uniform. The men stopped at several historically significant locations along the way, including Amelia Court House, Farmville, Sailor’s Creek Battlefield, and Chestnut Grove Baptist Church, finally taking part in the National Park Service’s stacking of arms ceremony on April 10, 2015. This experience piqued Gary’s interest in the Appomattox Campaign, which would influence his decision to help form APPS six years later.

Growing increasingly concerned that so many battlefields and historical landmarks were being lost to the tide of urban development and the ever-changing winds of political and social upheaval, Gary was compelled to do more to preserve these fields of honor, helping to form APPS alongside Joshua Lindamood, Michael Meehan, and Patrick Schroeder.

Gary believes that the Organization can help ensure that this and coming generations are afforded an opportunity to learn about the past, and hopes that it may influence their decisions that positively shape our collective future.

Gary’s passion for history is matched only by his passion for law. Gary is a licensed attorney practicing domestic relations and family law, and is a graduate of Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in Cleveland, Ohio. He is also an experienced political activist and campaign manager.