John was born in 1990 and is the son of the Illinois High School Glory Days website creator Dave Nanninga and his wife Kate. John is a severely Autistic man who has never spoken a word in his life. He does not use sign language. Most of John’s communication is done through his facial expressions, beautiful eyes, and body language gestures. John has traveled on nearly every road trip with his dad while exploring the towns and areas where former high schools once stood. John loves to travel by car and listen to music, usually old rock, country, and big band jams. John has seen the Superman statue in Metropolis, the Mississippi River bridge in East Dubuque, the beautiful countryside that makes up Jo Davies County, and the Lake Michigan shore at Zion. This includes hundreds of towns in between. Through it all John remains patient and is a GREAT traveling companion. He has combined his love for travel in the car with his father’s love for history and closed high school lore. Together they make a great team. We are blessed to have Johnny be a part of this team!