Derek W. Frisby
Narrative Biography
Updated: 5-1-2013
Derek W. Frisby is an Associate Professor of History at Middle
Tennessee State University teaching Tennessee, US, and military
history. He is Middle Tennessee native, MTSU alum, and US Marine
Corps veteran whose research interests deal with military occupation
and reconstruction strategies. Frisby received an MA in Higher Ed
Administration and a MA and Ph.D. in history from the University of
Alabama-Tuscaloosa and has authored numerous articles and essays
dealing with Tennessee’s Civil War occupation and Reconstruction
experiences.
Dr. Frisby emphasizes the connections between warfare and society,
particularly in his General Studies Tennessee history courses. He
discussed the role of Confederate iconography in southern history
and MTSU’s heritage for the 2009 MTSU Honors Lecture series and in
essay form for the university’s book, MTSU: A Centennial Legacy. Dr.
Frisby was a 2003 military history fellow at the US Military Academy
at West Point, was coordinating director of the Society for Military
History’s 2009 annual conference on War and Culture in
Murfreesboro, TN, and edited the West Tennessee Historical Society
Papers (one of three academic state historical journals) for six years.
He serves a historical consultant to the staffs of regional ROTC
programs (including MTSU), Fort Campbell, and Fort Knox,
frequently leading battlefield tours, conducting “staff rides,” and
teaching military history courses. He has directed numerous
education abroad programs studying warfare and public memory in
western Europe, Iwo Jima, Peleliu, Guam, and Vietnam. He recently
appeared on the NatGeo Channel’s Civil War series, “Civil Warriors:
Episode 3: Hard War” detailing the perilous conditions in Union
occupied Middle Tennessee.
Frisby encourages students through their study of Tennessee history
to fulfill their civic responsibilities in various service activities within
their communities. He leads by example and is actively involved in
various campus initiatives as a member of the MTSU Veterans
Memorial Committee and continues to enhance veterans’ services on
campus as a grant writer and representative on the MTSU Veterans
and Military Affairs Committee. He was appointed to the MTSU
Centennial Celebration Planning Committee and selected as Theme,
Events, and Scheduling subcommittee chair and is also an officer in
the Blue Raider Athletic Association. Dr. Frisby continues to serve in
many community and campus roles, including as featured speaker in
local school and civic organizations, as a consultant to the Tennessee
History for Kids website, and as a member of the Tennessee
Education Association’s Legislative Committee and the Instructional
and Professional Development Committee.