John was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and graduated from the University of Louisville with a degree in electrical engineering. That same year he married his college sweetheart and they went off to Harvard to pursue graduate studies. John had been accepted into an intensive program in electronic circuit analysis and design, and graduated with a masters degree in Engineering Science. His wife, a physicist, graduated with a Ph. D. in theoretical physics.
After graduating from Harvard, John and his wife moved to the Philadelphia area. where both had been hired by Philco Corp., a leader in electronics at that time. John designed circuitry for radar systems and television; his wife became involved in theoretical studies essential to the development of the transistor. After several years at Philco, John left to take a position at UNIVAC, a leader in the computer field. By the time he retired some 35 years later, he had designed, or supervised the design, of virtually every type of circuit used in electronic computers. His wife, meanwhile, became nationally known in her field. She published numerous technical papers, received many patents, and was honored by both her company and technical societies for her work.
John and his wife had three children and now have three grandchildren. Some years after both had retired, Ruth suffered a stroke and died a few years later. John began tutoring engineering students at local colleges, and eventually switched to tutoring math. He currently tutors fifth and sixth math in the Abington public schools.