Curtis Howe Springer | |
|---|---|
 Springer in an advertisement from September 1930. | |
| Born | December 2, 1896 |
| Died | August 19, 1985 (aged 88) |
| Occupation | Radio evangelist |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Louise Berkebile (divorced) Helen Springer |
| Children | at least 2 |
Curtis Howe Springer (December 2, 1896 – August 19, 1985) was an American radio evangelist, self-proclaimed medical doctor and Methodist minister best known for founding the Zzyzx Mineral Springs resort located within Southern California's Mojave Desert. He was also the host of well-known evangelical syndicated radio programs that were broadcast throughout the United States for several decades.
Springer was in actuality neither a doctor nor a minister,[1] and he described himself as the "last of the old-time medicine men."[2] In 1969, the American Medical Association labeled him the "King of Quacks".[3] In the early 1970s, the federal government discovered that Springer held no legal rights to the land where Zzyzx stood; consequently, he was evicted from the space and briefly imprisoned.[2]
- ^ Eckler, Ross (1996). "Zzyzx". Word Ways: The Journal of Recreational Linguistics. ISSN 0043-7980. Archived from the original on November 9, 2006. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ a b "Zzyzx now last word in research". Lawrence Journal-World. November 18, 1976. p. 32.
- ^ Rasmussen, Cecilia (June 16, 2002). "Zzyzx: An Unlikely Home of Hucksterism and Miracle Cures". Los Angeles Times.