John was born and educated in England, emigrated to the USA with rest of family at age fourteen, residing near
Hollywood, in Southern California. His academic career spans California, Oregon, and British Columbia (UBC), earning a doctorate in science in 1966. His published work is primarily scientific, published in five countries. After his wife died of Hodgekins disease which turned virulent despite successful cancer treatment in 2003, John found solace in his art works that included a month-long water color show on Salt Spring Island with associated poetry. He has written a book of poetry, two semi-fictional historical novels, several short stories, and a number of plays which have launched him into non-scientific publication rites.
Now at the age of 85 years, he is slowing down after just finishing his autobiography, enjoying
many bouts of reminiscence. His heritability involves long life as most of his relatives passed on in their middle to late nineties and his mother did so three weeks short of her 100th birthday. His five narrow escapes from death over his lifetime to date abet the desire
for continued improvement and productive change, both individual and societal and that desire remains strong as he arises every morning. As an ecologist of wide scientific scope
and an existentialist, he remains perturbed by the persistent rape and pillage of the planet at the ultimate expense of our descendant generations.
Hopefully, the reader will find commonality with the societal concerns in the present collection of anecdotes. Some are non-fiction, some partly fiction, and some are purely fiction.
The reader should be able to discern which are which....perhaps to enjoy meditating on them as much as I have enjoyed producing them and there are more in the offing.
