John was born in Aberdour, Fife, Scotland. He graduated from Edinburgh University and King's College. John and his wife, Netta, came to the US in 1962 to work for Allied Chemical as a chemical engineer. He became a US citizen in 1977 (Netta in 1993).
John and Netta first attended the Grandfather Mountain Games in 1964 and returned year after year. In 1985 they became the first official hosts for the Turnbull Clan Association and continued in that capacity for many years.
John served as TCA president from 1997-2000.