John wanted to be an attorney since he was a kid. He made that dream come true, but it was quite a journey getting there!
John studied pre-law at Green River Community College, WSU and UW. After he was drafted in 1972 and came back with a bit of an ‘attitude’ as he says, he paused his legal studies. Instead, he became a chemist and worked in quality control and microbiology for Rainier Brewery. Once the novelty of free beer wore off, he got bored with the repetition of the job and decided to become a science teacher.
He taught science at Ingraham high school until several Seattle schools closed in the 1970s forcing John out of a job. He pivoted again, using his early computer knowledge to get an interview with King County. He walked into the county’s room that housed three new IBM 286 computers, and nobody knew what to do with them, except him! His career with King County spanned 16 years.
It was in 1999 that a dispute with a neighbor over a boundary line led him back to law – click for more of John’s story.