John F. 

Born and raised in Georgia, John has always been a music lover. He attributes his diverse musical taste to his aunt. Many people thought he was odd - just like his aunt - for enjoying classical music and opera as he did. That never bothered John, as those who know him will understand. 

John spent a total of seven years in the military. He loves to joke, “I jumped out of perfectly good airplanes.” He began as a paratrooper in the Air Force, followed by three years in the Army to follow his dream of attending college through the GI Bill. During his time in the military, he saw much of Europe during his short periods of leave. Close to his service ending, John met a Swedish girl on leave, they married, and he settled in Sweden for four years. There he worked in a camera store and learned much about photography, and dabbled every chance he got.  

John still had a strong desire to go to college, so he returned to America with his wife. They arrived in New York City, which seemed to be very intoxicating for his wife, who ultimately did not want to leave to venture to Ohio so John could pursue college. They split amicably. 

In 1965, John arrived in Columbus to attend The Ohio State University. He took his time studying physics and ultimately became a teaching assistant. As he recalls, “I seem to remember they told me I graduated at some point, but I don’t remember the year. I didn’t really think much about it. I just kept going.” 

He worked for a time at the Goodyear plant in Marysville, where they made conveyor belts as small as those you would see at a grocery store to as large as the ones necessary to move coal from a mine.   

John has always loved staying active. During the late 70s, he was an avid cyclist and member of the Major Taylor Cycling Club, where he participated in many long rides around Ohio, including Ohio’s Tour of the Scioto River Valley (TOSRV). In addition to cycling, he was a big fan of skating. 

Despite living in the same apartment building for almost 25 years, John doesn’t have sentimental memorabilia or photos from years passed. However, he still owns his last pair of skates as a reminder of his skating rink days. 

Today, at the age of 86, John enjoys living in a walkable neighborhood since his biking and skating days are over. On a typical day, he walks about 14,000 steps. When he’s not walking, he’s still listening to a wide array of music from classical to Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin. 

Initially, for John, At Home by High was a way to get him from point A to point B since he does not own a car. Once he began meeting members and volunteers, he realized it was a way to meet interesting people and feel less lonely.