A native of Milwaukee now living in Rockford, Ill., award-winning Midwest journalist Eric A. Johnson has earned more than 40 writing, photography and community service awards from a variety of organizations over his career, including those awarded by Wisconsin Newspaper Association and the National Newspaper Association. An alumnus of Marquette University in Milwaukee, he is the author of three other Arcadia Publishing books: Rockford: 1900-World War I (2003), Rockford: 1920 and Beyond (2004), and Ashtabula Firefighting (2006). A retired 16-year second generation Wisconsin volunteer firefighter, serving in a variety of roles including Fire Prevention Officer, Public Information Officer, Assistant Fire Chief and Fire Chief with the Boulder Junction Volunteer Fire Department, Johnson was awarded Emergency Responder of the Year honors by the Wisconsin State Legislature in 2021. A longtime local historian and lifelong fan of the W.T. Grant Company, Johnson teamed with downtown Rockford businessmen Jerry Kortman and "Doc" Slafkoski in the early 1990's to successfully lobby the City of Rockford Historic Preservation Commission to bestow protective landmark status to downtown Rockford's long-vacant circa-1931 Art Deco W.

T. Grant Building, saving it from impending demolition and paving the way for its subsequent preservation and restoration as a revitalized and vibrant downtown anchor space. For more Grants images and history, readers are invited to view the Known for Values: Remembering the W.T. Grant Company page on8989 Facebook.