John C. Wriston, Jr., our collaborator and friend, passed away on November 6, 2004. We wish to express our joy at having had the chance to meet this remarkable man, and to convey our sorrow at having lost him. Our thoughts are with his family. In June of 2003 we met John in the library of the Vermont Historical Society. John was busy, bustling between the historical broadsides and the library stacks. He was, of course, working on a project.

John C. Wriston, Jr.

We were meeting with John because one of his earlier projects involved researching Vermont history on a day by day basis, with the idea of publishing his research in book form. That project resulted in an unpublished manuscript entitled "A Vermont Book Of Days."

We were in the early days of developing a multi-media program. We wanted to tell stories from Vermont's history day by day - Vermont's historical diary. Working without a title, we were researching, designing, and producing, nurturing a project that needed further refinement to take shape.

Enter Kevin Graffagnino, Director of the Vermont Historical Society. When he heard about our project, he told us to go find John Wriston. We did, and we found a whole lot more than we expected. The title and a significant chunk of research for The Vermont Book Of Days comes from John's original unpublished manuscript and notes. Many of the programs you watch, hear, and read are a reflection of the work resulting from this man's passion for Vermont, and its history.

In August, 2004, just prior to the launch of The Vermont Book Of Days, John came to the studio to watch our first television episodes. As the episodes played, you could see the sparkle in his eyes. We will always treasure that day with John, just as we treasure his reaction to our work. He called it "handsome." His smile said it all.

John's "hobby," as he calls it, is substantial. In 1991 he published Vermont Inns & Taverns, Pre-Revolution To 1925 - An Illustrated and Annotated Checklist. He has also contributed over 20 articles on Vermont postal history to the Vermont Philatelist, and is currently working on a project researching Vermont post offices and post masters.

John has been working on a manuscript entitled A Vermont Book Of Days since the mid-90s, and his day by day approach to events in Vermont history has been a tremendous resource for the multi-media presentation of The Vermont Book Of Days.

John currently lives in Delaware, and vacations on Lake Carmi in Vermont. In John's words, "I have been happily married for a very long time to a remarkable woman."