John's namesake was a Civil War soldier killed in action [1] at Williamsburg, Virginia on May 5, 1862, and memorialized by the GAR with a ten-foot obelisk in the Cold Spring Presbyterian Cemetery, Lower Twp., New Jersey.

He quickly transferred from the Second Armored Cavalry Regiment to become set and graphic designer for the Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra & Soldier Shows Company in Stuttgart.

He then secured the position of illustrator for Seventh Army Headquarters' Psychological Warfare Company, designing leaflets and posters.

Inspired by a number of offshore yacht deliveries to the Virgin Islands in the 1970s he gave up his Philadelphia-based illustration career to devote full-time to marine painting.

1798, early Federal style house at 83 Division Street in Newport's 'Historic Hill' district and undertook a total restoration in addition to starting a new career.

In 1978 Mecray and a small group of friends met in his studio on several occasions to discuss the possibility of starting a museum.

In March 1980 John convinced Tom Benson to take the position of executive director, which effectively brought the museum to life.

In 1992 John resigned his trustee position with the museum to join with Elizabeth Meyer at the start of the International Yacht Restoration School.

Shortly after its founding in 1993 IYRS acquired an historic waterfront site vacated by the Newport Electric Company, and within nine months one of its two buildings was rehabbed, and classes had begun.

To this end he painted his first (1981) of three works of Coronet, then published a print using most of the proceeds to set up a museum fund to stabilize and help maintain the yacht.

[7] The minister who performed the service was the Reverend Frank S. Murray, Captain for 36 years of the schooner yacht Coronet.

Students also dedicated a Japanese Maple tree which will be planted in the grounds [8] Mecray was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2015 and died November 1, 2017.