John was born in Waterville, Maine in 1959. Raised in Fairfield, Maine, he graduated from the University of Maine with High Distinction in History and Philosophy in 1982.

He began his planetarium career during the winter of 1978-'79 at the University of Maine's Jordan Planetarium. After graduation he continued his work as Program Director of the Jordan Planetarium while consulting with the Francis Malcolm Institute of Easton, Maine. He also taught Observational Astronomy classes at the University of Maine at Orono, the University of Maine at Presque Isle and Loring Air Force Base. In the fall of 1983 he became the Planetarium Director at the Francis Malcolm Science Center in Easton, Maine.

In 1987 Northern Stars became the first to purchase a Starlab Portable Planetarium System in order to start a small business. In 1995 Northern Stars purchased the first ever Jumbo-Starlab, which is large enough to hold 70 students.

John is the author of "Dell Turner: The Stories of His Life", published in 1988 by the Maine Folk life Center at the University of Maine. He has also written numerous articles for planetarium trade journals such as the International Planetarium Society's publication called "The Planetarian", and the Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society's publication called "The Constellation". For those interested, here is a listing of some of John's planetarium articles and where to find them. John holds the position of Historian of the Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society and is also a Fellow of the International Planetarium Society.

In 1995 John became a Registered Maine Guide for recreational activities. His primary expertise in this area is with canoeing. In fact, John co-produced an award winning video on canoeing with children called "Babes In The Woods". John also periodically teaches camping and canoeing skills at Kennebec Valley Technical College in Fairfield, Maine.