| John's maternal grandparents and great grandparents were from Butte and Cutbank. John's mother, moving to California while his father was in the South Pacific during World War II, went to work for the Department of Defense during the war and when her husband returned, John became one of the first "baby boomers." Attending college in Illinois in order to wrestle competitively, John was drafted into the Army and spent the last years of the 1960's in Army green in Vietnam and subsequently missed the "summer of love" in Haight Asbury and Woodstock. By the 1970's he settled in the suburbs of Chicago, embarked on a career of teaching high school Economics, Political Science and History and coached his favorite sport of wrestling. In addition to coaching wrestling, he coached soccer and cross-country. After Title IX became the law of the land, he coached several girls' teams as this new law revolutionized the extra-curricular opportunities in schools throughout America. Retiring from teaching in Illinois in 1995, John came home to Montana and resumed teaching at Flathead High School. During that time he was appointed by Governor Judy Martz to the Montana State Board of Public Education (2001-2008) and then retired from teaching again in 2009. A few years later he went to work for Congressman Ryan Zinke as his northwest Montana Field Director and then in 2018 was elected to the Montana House of Representatives from House District 8 (West Kalispell). After serving in the 66th (2019) and 67th (2021) Sessions of the Montana State Legislature, he was prevailed upon to run for the State Senate (District 4) when Senator Mark Blasdel was term limited.
John and his wife Cynthia both enjoy hunting, horseback riding (boats don't waste enough money), shooting and fellowship with their Church family. They have one son (Erik) and two grandchildren (Maggie and Sean). |