Melanie Holmes - A Hero on Mount St. Helens: The Life and Legacy of David A. Johnston

David Johnston's sister Pat gave permission for this book to be written. She is the sole survivor of a family of fiveher parents, Alice and Tom; her brother, David; and an infant sister, Polly, are gone. Thank you, Pat, for letting us pull back the curtain to see the boy whose humble beginnings began with you and your family.

This repository of stories comes from those who opened their hearts and shared memories. More than one hundred people contributed to this book in some wayfrom around the country and the world. If the four binders of letters and clippings compiled by David's parents are included in the number of people reached, then that number is much larger. Many words came from beyond the grave, including from David's own writingsthe diary he kept as a teenager, as well as letters he wrote from faraway places.

The older generation of David's family is gone except for an elderly aunt, one with a lovely Irish brogue who could offer only a few words about David's dad and what fun the cousins used to have. I relied on his sister, a cousin, friends from his childhood and college years, mentors, colleagues, and many others. Understanding the milieu in which David grew meant sifting through thousands of pages of researchabout wars, historical events, medical conditions, and above all earth science. I interacted with most of the main contacts who were at Mount St. Helens when David was killed; one died in 2009Rocky Crandell (who, like David, grew up in Illinois, and like Tom Johnston, lost his only son). A tour of the St. Helens area also helped immensely.

I knew of David and Pat's mother, Alice, through my employment at GSA (General Services Administration, not the Geological Society of America). By coincidence, out of forty-five floors of the Kluczynski Federal Building in downtown Chicago, Alice and I worked on the same flooron the same side of that floorso that I saw her almost daily in a break room where she sat with a book in one hand, a cigarette in the other, and a friendly but reserved smile to acknowledge anyone who passed by.

In another coincidence, David's sister Pat lived two blocks from where I moved as a transplant from a small farm town to the Chicago suburbs. I had left my job at GSA to stay home full-time with my two children; shortly thereafter, I wandered my neighborhood, saw Pat and her toddler son in their yard, and asked if our sons might play together. (Thank you, Pat, for saying yes.) She was seven months pregnant at the time with her second son, and my second son was a newborn, nestled in his stroller. It was months into a newly formed friendship before I realized the connection between Pat and her mother, and their shared tragic loss. And it was decades before Pat and I had more than perfunctory words about her brother, because friends don't shine a light into areas that need privacy in order to healthere were enough people doing that already. So it was a fluke that this book came to be written. When I suggested that her son write about his uncle, I learned it was not in his wheelhousethen Pat uttered three words: Why don't you? I was astounded, flattered, and hesitant. I wondered how it would impact our friendship. The first dinner where we talked about David began tentatively; we were both nervous. She laughed as she talked of her brother's antics; her eyes sparkled. It was a good beginning and we went forward from there.

The science and details in the chapters about Mount St. Helens were reviewedin part or wholeby Tom Casadevall, Peter Lipman, Dan Miller, Willie Scott, Barry Voight, and Richard Waitt, all of whom were there in 1980; special thanks to each one.

Cindy DiTiberio edited the initial draft of this manuscript; her insight at the onset was invaluable. There were also unofficial editors; they know who they are.

If not for James Engelhardt at University of Illinois Press, this book would not exist in its present form. Every writer asks, More edits? With each rendition, the book became better. Thank you, James, for your expertise, patience, and upbeat, supportive wordsHuzzah!

And to others at UIP (or through UIP) who helped bring out this bookfrom peer reviewers to production and marketing folks to those who gave endorsement quotes, including Jeff Renner, who wrote the forewordthank you.

Special thanks to Carolyn Driedger and those on my tour of the CVO in 2016. Thanks also to Rich Batson, Fay Blackburn, Mindy Brugman, Chris Carlson, Cynthia Dusel-Bacon, John Ewert, Lee Fairchild, Anne Glicken, Wes Hildreth, Rick Hoblitt, Joe Jakupcak, Janine Krippner, Doug Lalla, Steve Malone, Marti Miller, Don Mullineaux, Oscar Moore, Chris Newhall, Alyson Newquist, John Pallister, Don Swanson, and Bob Swedko. Gratitude is conveyed posthumously to Stewart McCallum. Thanks also to Angela Boss, Danielle Crabtree, Mary Socki, and Erin Reynolds, as well as Jim Lewis with Menlo Park Historical Association; Cate and Dolly with Oak Lawn Park District; and those at University of Washington who researched fellowship records. There were others, too many to name, that answered my requests for information; each nudged this project forward.

Also, thanks to Judy Pazdan who gave me respite when I faced multiple writing deadlines (thanks most of all for your friendship).

To my mom, who taught through example to love without qualification, to read with vigor, to accept what is as well as what can be. To my kids, thank you for walking with me in the mountains and spending nights in forests. And remember: I like you always; love you forever. A special shout-out to my eldest, whose graphic artistry contributed to this book.

Personal and profound thanks to my rock, Rob, whose support is solid; your belief in me makes all the difference. ILYF&A.

MELANIE HOLMES graduated from St. Xavier University in Chicago. She is the author of The Female Assumption, recipient of a 2014 Global Media Award from the Population Institute. She is also a speaker, educator, and freelance writer.