Jeremy and I met and became friends at UW where he was also one of my best students. I’ll never forget mutual journeys over the years–with public history classes to Wyoming historic sites and, as my graduate teaching assistant, to the AHC, where together, we helped dozens of first-year students in discussion sections embark on their own journeys into Wyoming history. Later, when he taught at Northwest and then at Buffalo Bill, I saw him on State Historical treks and at WHS annual meetings when he was a respected leader of that important organization..
And, of course, the trip he arranged for me to the “Scots in the American West” symposium, a two-day program he organized with many historians on three continents. We each spoke on Scotland and the West at the Smithsonian in D. C., with our mutual friend Colin Calloway, Michele Delany and other well-known historians and leaders of Scottish cultural organizations.
He was “Dr. Johnston, Ph.D” by then and I was so proud of him–as I was when he told me a while ago by phone that he thought he had his cancer “on the run” and that he wished the same for me. Two weeks ago when he was interviewed by David Rubenstein on PBS, on the rise of the cowboy myth, I said to Peggy, “There is the next ‘Mr. Wyoming History’ in the footsteps of two other Park County people.”
What I didn’t know was that our last “journey” we had talked about by phone, fighting off cancer, (Jeremy in Salt Lake City and me in Laramie), was about to reach the end for him at almost the same time I was watching his taped interview being re-broadcast on PBS.. I’ll never forget the conversations and good times we had with historians, students, and Wyomingites on our respective journeys on this earth.
He died too young with so many journeys yet ahead and I am deeply saddened by his death. My condolences again to his family about whom he spoke of proudly and often.
Rest in Peace, my friend.