Having a lifelong interest in the natural world, John got his BS in General Biological Science (with an emphasis in natural history) at Fort Lewis College in 1975, following a stint in the US Navy.  He received his MS in Agronomy at Kansas State University in 1998.  Master’s Thesis: Establishment of eastern gamagrass with pre-germination seed treatments.  He was employed by the USDA-Soil Conservation Service/ USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Manhattan Plant Materials Center at Manhattan, Kansas, as Asst. Manager/ Plant Materials Specialist for 29 years.  A career spent observing and evaluating grasses, forbs, trees, and shrubs; also plant propagation, establishment, and seed production of native plants.  After retiring from the USDA in 2015, John continues to have an interest in native plant materials for soil and water conservation use.