I promise I’m almost done the soliloquy here but thought I’d show examples of one of several personal button campaigns that this guy indulged in during the mid 1960s. He created these buttons reading: "I am (this guy)" and "I am not (this guy)", in one case to protest a business using "his name" while demanding that they take their sign down and in another case to protest an art gallery including "lifestyle restrictions that offended him" in his contract. He would then show up with the buttons, wearing his "I am (this guy)" button while pinning the "I am not (this guy)" buttons on everyone else. One of many episodes of playing games with his identity.

For Zynchronicity points, I’m almost positive that this stunt inspired the "I am not Paul Avery" buttons worn by SF Chronicle staff after Zodiac implicitly threatened Paul Avery as it took place in San Francisco just a few years before. This guy also created campaign buttons for his unsuccessful run for San Francisco City Supervisor in 1967, which was really more an exercise in performance art. His "campaign" consisted of painting a baby elephant with the word "LOVE" and giving speeches consisting of lists of desserts or citing bible verses having to do with "light". It’s not hard to imagine why this guy received a 4F psychological deferment from the SF draft board.

Yes, I’m glad you decided to show those E.

I was going to suggest it but to redact his name. This is particularly interesting because, to the best of my knowledge, your POI is the only one with a direct connection to buttons. Not only that but to buttons that actually were created as a direct result of Zodiac’s threats or perceived threats. I can’t say for definite if they inspired the Avery buttons but I haven’t seen any other examples of "I am not" buttons other than these and they are connected to a POI. The last part probably zync but I like that they could have been an inspiration for the style of the Avery ones. A good possibility.

Ironically though I don’t wonder if these badges provide a bit of a sticking point. Assume he was Zodiac I would have thought he would have picked up on the irony of the Avery badges and I would have thought he might responded in some way or with some comment regarding it. I don’t know, I just thought the irony would have been too much to not say something. Excuse the terrible choice of words but it would have killed me to keep quiet about it. Even indirectly and I don’t see anything like that in Z’s letters around the time.

Having said that, those are just initial thoughts. There’s more to be discussed regarding these buttons and certainly with other’s thoughts on them. The fact that they exist is a very interesting find and possible connection they might have to the Z case.

Thanks for the reply, Trav. I had actually only seen these on-line recently before you discovered them. I knew of the button campaigns but had never seen the actual buttons. To me, Z’s constant taunting to guess his identity is something of a fundamental signature:

BY… (Confession letter)
NO ADDRESS
MY NAME IS…
I feel it in my bones you ache to know my name…

This guy’s frequent stunts relating to his identity from refusing to be fingerprinted or photographed, declaring himself dead, having exhibitions under other people’s names and having other individuals pose as him are intriguing to me and remind me very much of Z’s identity game playing.

In regards to buttons… yeah, it’s weird how Z is focused on this button idea from April to July, 1970 and then seems to completely forget about it but he seemed to do the same with the whole Bus Bomb idea as well. I presume that the "I’m not Avery" buttons idea came about after Z’s Halloween letter in October, 1970. Why didn’t Z acknowledge it? I have no idea… He never really explained what a "Zodiac button" was supposed to entail either.

http://zodiackiller.com/DragonCard.html
http://zodiackiller.com/ZButtonLetter.html
http://zodiackiller.com/JohnsLetter.html

Your idea of "the Zodiac button that never was" in the "Hospital Souvenirs" work has grown on me, by the way. The disk he’s holding would seem to be somewhere around 3 inches in diameter. Bigger than the buttons shown above but entirely consistent with something like a campaign button.

The disk he’s holding would seem to be somewhere around 3 inches in diameter. Bigger than the buttons shown above but entirely consistent with something like a campaign button.

Hmmm.

3 inches eh? Just about the right size for a stitching template if you wanted a design that was approx 3 inches in diameter for a hood?

Conceivable, trav. Interesting… I’m actually just estimating the size of the disk based on how it would fit in my hand. See what you think…

I’m getting 3" on the diagonal on my palm so I think and estimate of 3" to 3 1/2" would be good.

Curious if anyone can identify the book from which this page is taken… There is a Miss Herrick in Brideshead Revisited but I don’t know the story enough to tell if that’s what this is. Not necessarily relevant. Just curious.

I think "buttons" were pervasive in the mid 60’s and whereas this guys’ buttons (badges! They are badges!) may have inspired the Avery ones, let’s not forget that those were Avery ones, not Zodiac ones, hmmmm?

The disk he’s holding would seem to be somewhere around 3 inches in diameter. Bigger than the buttons shown above but entirely consistent with something like a campaign button.

Hmmm.
3 inches eh? Just about the right size for a stitching template if you wanted a design that was approx 3 inches in diameter for a hood?

Stop it you two!

Re: the book – I believe that’s a page from "Robber’s Roost" by Zane Grey, but I’m not going to tell you which page.
I’ll leave you something to do.

Right you are, smithy. Thanks! A 1932 Zane Grey novel about the Wild West. I have no freaking idea what the collage is supposed to represent or why this particular page was included in it. Weird dude…

Regarding the buttons, I’m certainly not suggesting the "I am… I am not…" theme is directly relevant to Zodiac. Just pointing out his history of identity game-playing and conducting these button campaigns several years prior in SF. The possible inspiration for the Avery buttons is offered just as cool Zynchronicity.

…. The possible inspiration for the Avery buttons is offered just as cool Zynchronicity.

…and it’s a good find, and very cool. (Did I sound churlish, pouty and dictatorial, and did it appear I was trying to correct you? I sometimes do sound like that. Didn’t mean to!)

I like Zane Grey and don’t care who knows it. "Riders of the Purple Sage" is a personal favourite, so sue me!

We could – being all intellectual and art-y say it’s a commentary on the type of schlock novel of the earler decades (written in 1940 I think) – and that he was trying to highlight the leaps forward in literature since then, but that the written word remains truly disposable, and that by drawing on it… blaa blaa blaa.

But what I’m really betting is that it’s just a paperback he happened to have lying around.

But what I’m really betting is that it’s just a paperback he happened to have lying around.

Well, certainly… in this artistic incarnation, he was a collage artist creating assemblages from items lying around in thrift stores and such, representing the detritus of society. That said, I’ve learned along the way that nothing this guy did was ever random. The meaning of the work is often obscured, which explains all of my seemingly silly scrutinizing of stuff like a hidden bullet and badge/button/disk in the original work discussed in this thread. You may well be right on your interpretation though. I’m stumped by this collage as a whole- just curious because I had never run across it before.

Did Paul Stine smoke cigarettes or did he use a tobacco pipe ? Has anyone ever questioned his family if he smoked ? And one reason I ask is if he did and these things wasn’t found? or if he didn’t and maybe there is evidence on him that zodiac did.

Also if anyone has ever went to the St. Francis Hotel and found out if they kept a log on guests for that night and/or previous nights? I emailed them a couple days ago but I just assume they wont look or get back with me

Was there anything that day or night that was going on in SF that would draw more people ,,, like any special events that are out of the ordinary?

Was there any campaigning or the Governor…or President visiting within a close time period of Oct. 11?

Was Paul Stine an amateur artist/painter or poet?

Was there anything that day or night that was going on in SF that would draw more people ,,, like any special events that are out of the ordinary?

I’ve always thought it significant that the opening night of the play HAIR was held at the Geary Theater on the night Zodiac murdered Paul Stine and just a half block from where Stine picked up Z. Mason & Geary (where Z haled Stine’s cab) is in the heart of the SF theater district and Z chose to pick up Stine on a busy Saturday night in one of the busiest parts of town. According to Graysmith, the play let out at 9:30 p.m. Stine was killed around 9:55 p.m. so Z hailing a cab after viewing HAIR would be entirely consistent with the timeline. Considering Z’s penchant for Gilbert & Sullivan and apparent interest in the arts, it’s not hard to imagine him there. What would his reaction have been to this play (featuring nudity and exploration of the 60s counterculture) have been?

Deserves a discussion of it’s own, IMO.

Thanks entropy, I’m wondering if there is some photo’s of Paul Stine’s funeral on the internet.