John Dechant always liked writing. It wasn’t until he found Legacy Preservation that he realized he wanted to do it for a living.

Convinced his fingers—and mind—were strong enough to handle the workload, he wandered into Legacy one day in 2008 and asked to write something. He had recently completed a master’s degree and felt up to the challenge. Jim Fogarty stuck him in the corner and asked him to write up a few paragraphs for a book that was nearing completion. Fogarty liked what he wrote and told him to use more active voice and fewer words.

Since that fateful day, John, a graduate of Creighton University, has contributed to Legacy Preservation as a writer, researcher and project manager. In 2014, John became a partner in Legacy.

Today he keeps a tennis ball at his desk to keep his fingers strong and a copy of Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style handy, just in case. Other than writing, his interests include golf, Wes Anderson movies and the unpublished treasure chest of J.D. Salinger short stories and novels that he deeply hopes exists. He also serves on the board of directors of the Joslyn Castle Trust and the Omaha Sister Cities Association.