A few months back I was researching something and came across the name John Sperling. Sperling was the founder of the University of Phoenix. I spent a few hours reading about him, but unfortunately I did not take any notes on the guy. I probably did not think he was of any relevance to anything Z related. And I forget what exactly it was that I was researching at the time, but I know it was something to do with the Zodiac case.
Anyways, Sperling’s name just came up again with something completely different in the case that I was digging into. I find it somewhat strange, but is probably just a coincidence. I was just wondering if anyone else had come across his name while doing any Z research?
Here’s his wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sperling
A few minutes ago on a toilet not very far, far away….
Paul Avery was pulled off of the Zodiac story to cover some news (involving Sperling) going on in San Jose in early 1970.
http://www.sfgate.com/green/article/San … 266993.php
A few minutes ago on a toilet not very far, far away….
Not until now. He seems very interesting. I like how he was a sailor in the merchant marine, went to UC Berkeley, received a Ph.D. from kings college in economic history and having a thesis examining 18th-century English mercantile history, had an organization named the "Apollo" group and grew up in the Ozarks of Missouri. Theodore Roosevelt protected the Arkansas Ozarks in 1908 followed by the Missouri Ozarks by his cousin Franklin in 1939. All pretty interesting ophion.
Soze
Not until now. He seems very interesting. I like how he was a sailor in the merchant marine, went to UC Berkeley, received a Ph.D. from kings college in economic history and having a thesis examining 18th-century English mercantile history, had an organization named the "Apollo" group and grew up in the Ozarks of Missouri. Theodore Roosevelt protected the Arkansas Ozarks in 1908 followed by the Missouri Ozarks by his cousin Franklin in 1939. All pretty interesting ophion.
Soze
Indeed. I can’t remember what, but something I read made me think this guy was in no way involved with the Zodiac crimes. But I have run across his name at two seperate times while researching two different things in the case. I do remember now that I was looking up some merchant marines and that is how I originally came across the guy’s name.
Another interesting tidbit is that Sperling’s son either owns or previously owned William Thoresen’s old mansion in San Francisco.
A few minutes ago on a toilet not very far, far away….
He fits a profile of mine..including a beatnik.i kinda like the merchant marine angle as well..zodiac life rafts may have influenced the name..
I had such an instance occur in 2010. I researched a particular item in one of the Zodiac’s letters and came across a name. I ended up chalking the item up to meaningless garb. I researched something else in another letter of the Zodiac’s and immediately recognized the previous guys name. I thought, wow, how odd is that? I didn’t go digging into the guy at the time but I didn’t dismiss him or, the items I found, either. I continued on and found a third instance of this mans name.
At this point (the point I think you are at), I began to think, well, if it looks like a duck and its quacking like a duck, then…..There has to be something to it, right? Didnt think of him as "the Zodiac" but i certainly thought that there was something to him and the case. What? I didnt know. So i started looking into him.
I found quite a few things that "seemed" Zodiac related, similar to, how this Sperling guy appears. He loved the yellow submarine, claim to speak and (i believe) write in mandarin chinese, and claimed to have studied graphology. He was very artistic (quite good in my opinion), wrote on occasion about hunting humans (have seen one that made the hairs on my body stand to attention and i dont scare easy) and even had the moon shot image (seen in the stamp) hanging on his wall.
I could go on and on about this guy but its already starting to look and feel like an advertisement. Not my intent. The point of my telling you this is that i wouldnt have found these similarities and, made him my person of interest, if i had just chalked everything i found to be coincidence or, as someone once said, nonsense.
Coincidence, ophion, is for the narrow-minded. Everything, happens for a reason or, so I believe.
Soze
I had such an instance occur in 2010. I researched a particular item in one of the Zodiac’s letters and came across a name. I ended up chalking the item up to meaningless garb. I researched something else in another letter of the Zodiac’s and immediately recognized the previous guys name. I thought, wow, how odd is that? I didn’t go digging into the guy at the time but I didn’t dismiss him or, the items I found, either. I continued on and found a third instance of this mans name.
At this point (the point I think you are at), I began to think, well, if it looks like a duck and its quacking like a duck, then…..There has to be something to it, right? Didnt think of him as "the Zodiac" but i certainly thought that there was something to him and the case. What? I didnt know. So i started looking into him.
I found quite a few things that "seemed" Zodiac related, similar to, how this Sperling guy appears. He loved the yellow submarine, claim to speak and (i believe) write in mandarin chinese, and claimed to have studied graphology. He was very artistic (quite good in my opinion), wrote on occasion about hunting humans (have seen one that made the hairs on my body stand to attention and i dont scare easy) and even had the moon shot image (seen in the stamp) hanging on his wall.
I could go on and on about this guy but its already starting to look and feel like an advertisement. Not my intent. The point of my telling you this is that i wouldnt have found these similarities and, made him my person of interest, if i had just chalked everything i found to be coincidence or, as someone once said, nonsense.
Coincidence, ophion, is for the narrow-minded. Everything, happens for a reason or, so I believe.
Soze
Oh, man. That is crazy! Is there a thread on your POI? I would love to know more about him. I agree that coincidence is for the narrow-minded, but that is where I am at right now. Haven’t found anything that grabs my attention about Sperling yet that makes me think he had involvement to the case, but it isn’t for a lack of looking. Your guy, on the other hand, definitely does have some Z-like qualities.
A few minutes ago on a toilet not very far, far away….
Sperling: It may not be about what he may have done or contributed. He might not have done anything at all. What if he was like a mascot to the Zodiac? Where Sperling only represented a portion of interest. Sort of like a connect the dots kind of thing.
My person of interest: No. I have not created a thread here. I did start one at the old board in 2011 where I was to begin speaking on the subject but I never did.
Soze
