James M. Aton

James M. Aton was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1949 and was educated there in Catholic schools. He received a B.A. in English from Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL in 1971, an M.A. in English from the University of Kentucky in 1977, and a Ph.D. in American Literature from Ohio University in 1981. He was Professor of English at Southern Utah University from 1980 to 2020 where he was named SUU Distinguished Educator (1994) and twice Outstanding Scholar (2009 and 2018).

Aton has twice been a Visiting Fulbright Scholar in American Studies, first in 1989-90 at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and second in 1997-98 at Sichuan University in Chengdu, Peoples Republic of China.

Aton presented the SUU Distinguished Faculty Lecture four times. His monograph, "John Wesley Powell," appeared as part of the Boise State University's Western Writers Series. His book with Robert S. McPherson, "River Flowing from the Sunrise: An Environmental History of the Lower San Juan," was awarded the 2000 Norris and Carol Hundley Award for "best book on any historical subject" from the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association. His book with photographer Dan Miller, "The River Knows Everything: Desolation Canyon and the Green," appeared in May 2009. His book,"John Wesley Powell: His Life and Legacy," was published in 2010. He published two books on landscape artist Jimmie F. Jones: "Jim Jones: The San Blas Years (SUU Press 2013) and "The Art and Life of Jimmie Jones: Landscape Artist of the Canyon Country" (Gibbs Smith Books 2015). The latter won two awards. His book with Jerry D. Spangler, "The Crimson Cowboys: The Remarkable Odyssey of the 1931 Claflin-Emerson Expedition" (2018) won the Don and Catherine Fowler Award.

Aton is the father of Jennifer Aton Parietti, a dietician at Seattle Children's Hospital. She lives in Seattle with her husband Ryan and sons Jack and Rory. He is married to Carrie Lynn Trenholm, an award-winning fused glass artist and The Beverley Taylor Sorenson Endowed Chair Emerita at Southern Utah University. He is an avid river runner, skier, and hiker.