This is a personal story that weaves together the personal and professional aspects of a rewarding life in biomedical research. The book describes the education and career of John A. Williams, a leading biomedical scientist whose research focused on the exocrine pancreas and its function. It is arranged chronologically and covers Dr. Williams’ education, how he developed his interest in the pancreas, and how research on the pancreas developed over his 50 year career. It also provides insight into the state of American biomedical education, medical schools, and how research is funded and published. 

As a professor, his research was on the exocrine pancreas, its secretion of digestive enzymes, and regulation by gastrointestinal hormones. He published over 400 papers and trained over 60 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Dr Williams served as President of two scientific societies, the American Pancreatic Association and the American Physiological Society, and as Editor of four journals. He also founded the Pancreapedia, an open access knowledgbase about the exocrine pancreas. In addition, he taught medical and graduate students with a focus on gastrointestinal function.

While a medical student, John married his life partner, Christa Smith, and they have been together 57 years raising two children and helping with four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. John has a lifetime interest in outdoor activities, nature, and conservation. For the last decade he has been an advocate for reducing the use of fossil fuels. He is also active in the Ann Arbor Friends meeting.

This book provides comprehensive and definitive coverage of the current understanding of the structure and function of the exocrine pancreas. While emphasis is on normal physiology, the relevant cell biological, developmental and biochemical information is also provided. Where appropriate, chapters also include material on functional changes in pancreatitis. All chapters are fully referenced and provide up to date information.

The book has been overseen and published by the American Pancreatic Association with Fred S. Gorelick and John A. Williams as Editors. It includes 26 chapters written by an international group of authorities; completed chapters are also presented in open access format on the Pancreapedia (www.pancreapedia.org). The book contains full-color images and summary diagrams that enhance readability and extend the detail provided in the text.

The Pancreas: Biology and Physiology is divided into four sections:

• Pancreatic Exocrine Structure and Function Anatomy, Bioenergetics, Cytoskeleton, Intracellular Signaling
• Acinar Cells Digestive enzyme synthesis, intracellular transport, Zymogen granules, Exocytosis
• Exocrine Pancreas Integrative Responses Hormonal and Neural Control of Protein and Fluid Secretion, Molecular mechanisms of fluid and bicarbonate secretion, regulation of growth and regeneration
• Pancreatic Islet and Stellate Cell Structure and Function Structure and vasculature of islets, regulation of islet secretion, Stellate Cells in health and disease

The book is designed to be a reference book for pancreas researchers but its clear and readable text will appeal to teachers, students and all individuals interested in the exocrine pancreas.

John Alexander Williams's West Virginia: A History is widely considered one of the finest books ever written about our state. In his clear, eminently readable style, Williams organizes the tangled strands of West Virginia's past around a few dramatic events-the battle of Point Pleasant, John Brown's insurrection in Harper's Ferry, the Paint Creek labor movement, the Hawk's Nest and Buffalo Creek disasters, and more. Williams uses these pivotal events as introductions to the larger issues of statehood, Civil War, unionism, and industrialization. Along the way, Williams conveys a true feel for the lives of common West Virginians, the personalities of the state's memorable characters, and the powerful influence of the land itself on its own history.

The first period of the twentieth century - that stretch of years beginning in the 1870s and ending with the United States' entry into World War I - is known as the Gilded Age. This was the era of the "Robber Barons" and the origin of modern America. These were the years in which developments in coal, steam, oil, and gas forged our national infrastructure. West Virginia and the Captains of Industry show how the excesses of the Gilded Age and the latitude our government accorded industrialists of the time created an impact on the fragile economy of our new state that accounts for much of the political and economic landscape of modern West Virginia. Gracefully written and thoroughly researched, West Virginia and the Captains of Industry has become a classic work of West Virginia history since its first publication by the West Virginia University Press in 1975. Anyone interested in the history of our state must read this revised edition; then again, so must anyone interested in the future of West Virginia.