John obtained his doctorate from M.I.T. in 1965. He was a naval officer from 1953 to 1970 ending with the rank of Commander and a member of the naval reserve from 1975 to 1984. He served as head of the Electrical Engineering department at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario between 1967 and 1972, then Dean of Graduate Studies and Research from 1972 to 1084, then as Principal from 1984 to 1999 (a bilingual position).

He has industrial experience in France (Naval Systems Laboratory, Thomson CSF) in 1978. He was chair of the Canadian Conference on Ethical Leadership in 1998, President of the Advanced Technology Education Consortium in Kingston between 1999 and 2002; an RMC Club Foundation Board Member (Way ahead review and Chair, Gifting and Planned Giving) 2003 to 2006, and President in 2005. He was President of the Pittsburgh Historical Society in 2005, President of the Kingston Branch, Navy League of Canada, and Governor of St Lawrence College in 2003 and Vice Chair in 2004, Director ACAATO Executive Board in 2006, and became a member of the IEEE Canadian Foundation in 2006. He became Executive Director of the Engineering Institute of Canada in 1999.

His IEEE service includes; Kingston Section Chair in 1968, Bay of Quinte Section Chair in 1973, and Chair, of the Central Canada Council in 1974/76, and a member of the IEEE Canada Awards Committee starting in 1999. He was a member of the IEEE Canada RepCom in 2005/06. He served as president of CSECE in 1989-91 and was instrumental in the 1995 merger of CSECE with IEEE Region 7 to form IEEE Canada. He served as EIC president in 1994/96. His awards include IEEE Life Fellow, EIC Fellow, IEEE Centennial and McNaughton Medals, EIC John B. Stirling Medal, Order of Military Merit and PEO Citizenship Award.