Stan Johnson
1939 - 2008
A River Thru History honors a great man.
Stan Johnson
Stan Johnson was the Director of the River Thru History Rendezvous (previously named the I&M Canal Rendezvous). But he was so much more than that. Stan was one of the originators of and always a key player in the Rendezvous. His tireless efforts were an integral part of the continued success of the event.
Stan was also one of the founders and Chairman of the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor Civic Center Authority. The CCA is a governmental organization committed to the cultural, historic, recreational and economic development of the National Heritage Corridor. It is the parent organization of the Rendezvous and was until recently the sole sponsor.
During his work with the CCA, Stan was one of the few people to recognize the historical significance of the Chicago Portage National Historic Site. Through his efforts, the CCA funded and erected the magnificent statue of Marquette and Joliett - as well as helped to fund the many interpretive signs at the site.
Statue of Marquette and Joliett at the Chicago Portage
Stan spearheaded the work to preserve and was the coordinator of the Santa Fe Prairie in Hodgkins, IL. This 10.8 acre prairie is one of the rarest types of Illinois prairie, only two of its kind exist in the state. It was donated by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad in 1997 to the Civic Center Authority which now owns and manages this high quality prairie. More than 225 native plant species have been recorded at the site, many of which only survive in such a prairie.
Santa Fe Prairie photo by Don Kinnally
Outside of the CCA, Stan was also very active with the Flagg Creek Heritage Society - a Non-Profit Organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of the Flagg Creek area. The Society operates the Flagg Creek Historical Museum and the Robert Vial House located on the grounds of the Pleasant Dale Park District in Burr Ridge IL. Most recently, Stan helped to solidify plans for a beautiful new Heritage Center to be built just north of the Vial House.
Robert Vial House
Amazingly, he accomplished most of this IN HIS RETIREMENT! During his professional career, he was a chemist at Argonne National Laboratory. He retired from Argonne at 55 but continued as a part-time consultant for years. While at Argonne, Stan was involved in a project that created a device able to analyze air quality in mass amounts. The device was awarded the Research & Development 100 annual award, an industrywide honor that recognizes America's top inventions. This device was used by scientists after the volcanic eruption of Mt. St. Helens.
Because of these and the thousands of other things Stan Johnson did for our communities, he will indeed be sorely missed.
The following is a poem written by Stan's sister-in-law Margaret Johnson, and read by her at Stan's memorial service:
