John received his BArch at the University of Texas and MArch at the University of Nebraska. He taught at Texas Tech, 1973–2018. He was a Supervisory Architect with the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), National Park Service summer teams projects, 1974–1999. He has had various contracts and grants for projects relating to Historic Preservation. A founding faculty member of the Master of Science in Historic Preservation in the College of Architecture, he served as its director, 1991–2016. He has received numerous awards, including as a member of NCARB, AIA, Texas Society of Architects, Lubbock Heritage Society and Lubbock County Historical Commission.