To tell someone’s story is a great honor; a privilege to approach with great care. This book comes out in May 2019 from University of Illinois Press (UIP). A Hero on Mount St. Helens: The Life & Legacy of David A. Johnston is about an (Oak Lawn) Illinois boy who made his way to volcanoes where he thrived as a scientist. His death on the mountain ridge that now bears his name may appear to be the end, except that it isn’t. Legacy unfolds in ways sometimes unimaginable, and often completely unknown. This book brings David Johnston’s stories together for the first time through his own writings, through anecdotes shared by friends, family, and colleagues, and most important through a lasting legacy that is apparent today…if you look.

Melanie Holmes