John Winkelman was a charter board member of the vintageTEK museum and worked at Tektronix in various departments. John left Tektronix to pursue his law degree and worked for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Later he returned to Tektronix to work in the Patent Department. This April 7, 1976 TekWeek article announces John's return to Tektronix.

This September 13, 1985 TekWeek article features John working with the Sony/Tek organization.

After John retired, he again returned to Tektronix as a contractor in the legal department specializing in trademarks.