Born in Ciumași, Bacău County, his parents Nicolai and Maria were peasants; in addition, his father was a mechanic for Căile Ferate Române.
He then enrolled in the military engineers officers' school in Bucharest, graduating first in his class in 1932 and becoming a second lieutenant in the Romanian Army.
After a yearlong internship, he was sent on a government scholarship to the École militaire et d'application du génie de Versailles.
In February 1948, following the onset of the communist regime, he was transferred as a full professor to the construction faculty of the Polytechnic University of Timișoara.
In his limited spare time, he read classic literature and was a passionate supporter of Poli Timișoara football team.