John had a brilliant mind. He was a chess master. He wrote microcode for Control Data's super computers.  He untangled the intricacies of radio communications software and hardware for fellow amateur radio operators.  The world for John was not complex, but rather it was an opportunity to exercise his mind.

John was an artist.  The proof was a peek at his photographs and their transformation as he processed them with his computer.  His amateur radio signature, his QSL card, was stunning and unique. He found a photograph from a radio history museum in Minnesota and the right lithographer in England to create a miniature masterpiece, an international sleight of hand that personified John.

John was a traveler.  His work took him to the Orient and his hobby took him to the Soviet Union .  He lived on the East Coast, the West Coast, the Midwest and Canada.  Wherever he was, he lived among the local people in their environment and ate their food, whether it was sushi and sake in Japan or black bread and vodka in Russia .

John was a sailor. He raised his sails on the Atlantic Ocean and dipped his paddle into the inland river waters of New Jersey and the sky-tinted lakes of Minnesota.

John was an environmentalist and an outdoorsman.  He saw no conflict in belonging to both the National Rifle Association and the Sierra Club.  A walk in the woods to visit with nature was a good time for John.

John was a coach.  He coached girls' soccer and, with a little coaxing, he would tell you that one of his girls was America 's goalie on the World Cup Champions.

John was a teacher.  He taught airmen how radar worked.  Later, armed with his Air Force teaching skills, he taught kids and adults about the amateur radio hobby he loved. He not only taught them Morse code and radio theory, he provided the telegraph keys and code practice machines and used his graphics skills to develop outstanding teaching materials. 

John was an amateur radio operator. He talked to other hams in hundreds of countries and on islands around the world.  He delighted in working the tiny Scottish islands as one of his Scottish ham friends literally hop-scotched from one island to the next. He communicated around the world using amateur radio satellites and he participated in the public safety operations to help safeguard all of us.

John was a salesman.  He used his people skills to sell amateur radio equipment to fellow hams. As he sold he taught his customers about their hobby.  They always got more than they bought.

John was a Scotsman.  True to his name, he loved things Scottish.  On his desk was a miniature curling rock.  When the phone rang at work and a Scottish brogue rolled from the earpiece, it was "John, it's for you!" Nobody had to ask any more questions to figure that out. Only another Scotsman could get a Scotsman he had never met before to talk for half an hour on a transatlantic telephone call.

John was a friend.  He gave you what he had - his money, his equipment, his skills, his advice, his time, his compassion - his being defined friendship.

John was a devoted husband. When a medical misfortune disrupted their lives, John reached deep into his heart and cared for his wife with a strength and love that most could scarcely imagine.  When a second medical misfortune befell John, he again gathered his strength and focused his efforts on one goal - to bring his wife home and care for her.  In three arduous months, he achieved this goal, only to be taken by a third and final medical misfortune.

John was all this.. and more.

What a wonderful man!