Childhood and Education

John was born May 3, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of John and Agnes Wagner Christian. Growing up during the Depression with little money at home and losing his mother at age 11, John was nevertheless exposed as a child to ideas that would become critical to the trajectory of his life: art, engineering, and the outdoors. His parents were not college-educated, but they gave him experiences that initiated his life-long self-reliance, curiosity, and optimism. He learned to think outside of the box to navigate the world.  

Like most children, John began drawing at an early age, but he quickly showed exceptional talent. In the 6th grade John was selected to attend an adult life drawing class at the Art Institute of Chicago, taking the streetcar to class by himself, and struggling with embarrassment while drawing nude models. John credited his Uncle Paul for introducing him to problem solving, by teaching him to use a lathe and power tools and challenging him to figure out the best way to cut and glue wood together to make a finished product.

John got his start as an engineer and entrepreneur in the 7th grade, when he and several classmates participating in the Junior Achievement Program went into business for themselves under the name of “Midget Manufacturing.” The boys soon won a contract from a US Army contractor for components in 150,000 trouser hangers they designed and manufactured. Their success was featured in articles in the New York Times and Look Magazine.

Though living in an intensely urban area, John’s parents regularly joined friends to hike in the local woods around Chicago. His father later took John by streetcar to Chicago’s Palos Park Forest Preserve and to other local state parks. Other excursions included museums and a Bahai temple. Although raised Catholic, John long remembered his father telling him that day that were many paths to a spiritual life. 

John’s father also gave him his first glimpse of high mountains when they drove to Wyoming’s Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks following the death of his mother. Years later John would return to climb the Grand Teton and other objectives in the state including Devils Tower. 

When John was a teenager, his father married Emily Bartozek, the daughter of Polish Immigrants and a scientist/researcher at the nearby Argonne Laboratories.  Emily was only eight years older than John, and immediately told him: “I am not going to be your mother.” A life-long learner and traveler, Emily shared John’s enthusiasm for life and was a continual inspiration to him until her death at age 100. 

John’s half-brother George was born in 1946 when John was 16. Despite the difference in their ages, John delighted in having a little brother, and treasured their relationship for the rest of his life. He shared George’s joy when his brother later married Katy and the two had their son Ben, John’s nephew. 

Graduating from high school in 1946, John was the first one in his family to attend college. His choice of major was based on necessity, rather than personal interest. Awarded a scholarship to study Fire Protection and Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago, he commuted to classes from home and received his degree in 1950.    

Federal Career

As a young man graduating from college during the Korean War era, John was promptly drafted into the US Army, and it was the Army that brought him to the Washington, DC area. He was assigned to the Engineer Research and Development Laboratory (ERDL) in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia as a fire protection/safety engineer, serving first as an army private for two years, and then employed there as a civilian for another six years. 

John was eager to travel, but as an army private he had limited time and money. Not content to let a lack of resources stop him, John he figured out that soldiers based in the US could take “reverse furloughs” (inexpensive vacations) across the Atlantic by flying on military aircraft. Promising to document his adventure for a military publication, he convinced a colonel at the Pentagon to give him papers requesting assistance from European-based US Army personnel. 

The trip soon became a magical experience and life changing. In Rome, John was introduced to the producers of the movie “Roman Holiday” who invited him to watch the filming of Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck at the Spanish Steps.  Afterwards, John joined the two for an aperitif in a nearby café. 

A week later in Innsbruck, Austria, he met a local couple who asked if he wanted to climb a mountain. Excited about a new adventure and dressed in khakis and old tennis shoes, he joined them the next day on the Pflerscher Tribulaun, where they handed him a hemp rope and gave him rudimentary instruction. Once on top, he was hooked forever to the world of rock climbing and mountaineering. 

Due to the geopolitical climate in the 1950s, the ERDL at Ft. Belvoir devoted considerable resources to mitigating the threat and impact of nuclear war. John’s work initially focused on protecting the military and citizens from firestorms after a nuclear blast which led to his role in developing civil defense strategies on a national and international level. 

First as part of the ERDL and later with the Department of Defense (DOD) Office of Civil Defense, John attended a series of NATO meetings in Europe during the 1950s and 1960s where he coordinated plans and best practices with his foreign counterparts. John made the most of these trips, taking in museums and cultural opportunities, and in Stuttgart, Germany, purchasing the first of three Porches he owned. 

While working by day as an engineer but always seeking new ideas, John sought out local evening educational opportunities to fill in what he felt were serious gaps in his education. He took a slew of classes in drawing, painting, calligraphy, design, metallurgy, art appreciation and language classes at American, Catholic and Georgetown Universities. In his social life, he sought out a wide range of creative people including artists, designers, and museum curators. These experiences and people fueled his curiosity about new ideas and inspired him to become even more creative in his problem solving at work. 

John realized that the army was not yet aware of the emerging field of human factors in engineering and ergonomics that was beginning to get attention in the design and manufacturing world. According to John, most military engineers struggled with “thinking outside the box” or understanding why they should design equipment to fit the human body. John wanted to know whether studying Industrial Design could help bridge that gap and he wanted to learn from experts in the field.  

Taking advantage of a one-year fellowship offered through the Secretary of the Army Research and Study Program, John moved to Brooklyn, NY in 1960 to begin his studies at the Pratt School of Design, and later received a Master’s Degree in Industrial Design. The following summer, John attended the First International Congress on Ergonomics in Stockholm, presenting a paper entitled “Ergonomics, Palliative or Definitive.” 

Returning to work at the ERDL, John submitted his report to the Army on the relationship between military equipment design and operator efficiency and was appointed head of the new “Human Factors” Section, which he later described as “one man and a secretary.”  

By 1967, John moved to the National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology) where he served as Special Assistant to the Director. When his boss was recruited to establish the School of Architecture at the State University of New York (SUNY) Buffalo in 1966, John obtained another fellowship and went with him to write proposals requesting funds for architectural projects.  

Returning to Washington, John was appointed Deputy Director of the new Fire Research and Safety Commission. He was the principal author of the Commission’s 1972 report to Congress “America Burning” which led to landmark fire prevention legislation and several new federal agencies and departments. 

Over the following several years John’s work took him between the Bureau of Standards, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Housing and Development before he took an early retirement in 1978 to establish his own Design/Build Company, “Brookmont Builders.” 

Brookmont Builders

While still only midway through his Federal career, John had dreamt about using his design skills to create a home for himself in a wooded environment. Wishing to ensure that no one could build a house behind his, he sought buildable land overlooking the Potomac River Gorge. 

In 1966, John found what he was looking for on Ridge Drive in the Brookmont neighborhood of Bethesda. The tiny hillside lot presented a considerable challenge, which nevertheless resulted in an elegant retreat that embodied his love of natural materials and the out-of-doors. The New York Times gave it two pages in their Sunday Magazine. Later, John and his then-wife Marty, enjoyed watching racoons explore the back deck. 

Residential design work offered John the perfect opportunity to combine his engineering background with his creative skills and design education. Finally, when he left government work at age 48 he was able to pursue this passion full-time.  Over the following 23 years he designed homes, additions, and renovations for a wide variety of clients. 

John deeply valued his working relationship with Jim McKinna, who brought many of his designs to fruition. The two had met when Jim was just sixteen years old, and John taught him how to climb. John was always gratified that they were able to work together on a professional basis as well as being trusted climbing partners.  

Closing his company in 2001 gave John more time to spend with his wife Kate, volunteer in the community and with the organizations he belonged to, and to pursue his own creative endeavors. He still continued to do small design projects for friends and neighbors, tapping his love of cooking to pursue his special interest in designing kitchens.