Lived in and around the Bay Area most his life. As a young man, he worked in the Bank of Italy (which became the Bank of America). At some point (1940s? 50s?) he had trouble from being associated with the Communist Party, and changed his name to John Dudley Stratton. For most of his life, he was a laborer of some type (welder?) and was very active in his worker's union. In his old age he liked to play the stock market, at which he did very well. His wife of many years was Mexican-American, and after she died he generously supported groups such as the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)