Biography of John Tinker

John Tinker

After high school, John spent two years at the University of Iowa. In that era of the Vietnam war and the nuclear arms race, he became generally disillusioned with the course society was taking. He decided to drop out of school and study on his own.

John moved into a small truck to minimize his living expenses and held a number of jobs, including working on a shrimp boat and driving a city bus. He studied radio electronics and became the chief engineer for a small AM station. John disassembled electronic equipment and opened a store called "Inventors' Supply" to sell them. During the war in Nicaragua he read an account of the impoverished situation there and organized a project to carry repair parts to that country.

When micro-computer kits were first available, he obtained one and learned to program. Programming became his primary means of support, and he is now part of a design team that is developing an invoicing system for one of the large telecommunications companies.

John Tinker, Mary Beth Tinker, and Christopher Eckhardt

Recently John bought a large school building in a small town in Missouri and is turning it into his home. His avocation is social observer. He is concerned that we are not taking a sufficiently long view of our priorities. He worries that those who benefit the most from society do not feel much of an obligation to the rest of the people. The main social issue that he is watching today is the situation in Chiapas, Mexico.

John is interested in continuing the "Online Conversation" about the Tinker case and students' rights. He can be reached at the Email address: jtinker@coin.org

Online Conversations | Tinker Conversation | Case Summary | Questions and Answers
*Biographies* | Resources | Schools