Marcus Wilson

Marcus Wilson was a grad student at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. When Bryce Miller became marooned in town after the Yellowstone Supervolcano erupted, Wilson took him to a museum associated with the university and with Ashfall State Historical Park. The museum contained specimens of fossils which had been preserved from the ash of a previous supervolcano eruption some 12,000,000 years ago. It also had a plaque indicating that many of the specimens showed signs of Hypertrophic Pulmonary Osteoarthropathy. Miller pointed out the risk this posed during the current eruption to people. Wilson agreed and, being a Nebraskan, he also pointed out it was a risk to livestock. The falling ash had already destroyed that year's harvest and this could potentially damage another food source.

The two reflected on this when Miller gave a sudden start. Wilson asked about it and Miller explained that he had just remembered that his ex-girlfriend had moved to Denver where the ash was much heavier. While she had broken up with him, he still didn't bear her ill will and certainly nothing as bad as Marie's disease.