Donald Allendorf is a Civil War author and a graduate of the University of Missouri with a BA in journalism. Following graduation, he served as a commissioned officer in the US Navy. During his career, Allendorf spent thirty-seven years as a consumer marketing and advertising professional, including fifteen years as the director of communications and marketing for the Gates Corporation in Denver. A member of the State Historical Society of Missouri and the Library Society of the University of Missouri, Allendorf is now retired and lives with his wife in Columbia, Missouri.