Ralph Johnston

Al's brother Ralph passed away on Thursday, Sept. 4. He was 78 years old, and he died of cancer. Ralph worked for the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management for many years, and he was well thought of among his colleagues. He was one of the first smoke jumpers in Southern California and he and others pioneered the use of helicopters in fighting forest fires. A memorial service will be held on October 18, at which time the heliport at Chilao in the Angeles National Forest will be renamed the Ralph Johnston Heliport.

Al was able to spend some time with Ralph a couple of weeks ago.