OBITUARY JOHNSON, PRESIDENT OF FLAT EARTH SOCIETY.Byline: Daily News LANCASTER - Flat Earth Society President Charles K. Johnson Charles Kenneth Johnson (July 24, 1924, San Angelo, Texas - March 19, 2001, Lancaster, California) was, from 1972 until his death, the president and energetic promoter of the International Flat Earth Society, which he and his wife ran from their home in California. , whose position got him countless media interviews over 30 years and even a spot in a Dreyer's ice cream commercial, was buried Wednesday at Joshua Memorial Park. He died Monday in Lancaster at age 76. Since 1971, Johnson had headed the organization dedicated to the belief that Earth is flat, with the North Pole North Pole, northern end of the earth's axis, lat. 90°N. It is distinguished from the north magnetic pole. U.S. explorer Robert E. Peary is traditionally credited as being the first to reach (1909) the North Pole. In 1926, Richard E. the magnetic center of Earth and Antarctica spread around its outer rim. ``What everyone has been taught all their lives is complete foolishness,'' Johnson told an interviewer in 1996. ``It's nothing more than a joke.'' Johnson, a retired Caterpillar caterpillar (kăt`əpĭl'ər, kăt`ər–), common name for the larva of a moth or butterfly. Caterpillars have distinct heads and are segmented and wormlike. factory supervisor, became president of the society in 1971 following the death of Samuel Shinton of England, who was a member of the Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 with the name Geographical Society of London for the advancement of geographical science, under the patronage of King William IV. . Johnson said Shinton's widow chose him to take over because he had corresponded with the couple. For most of those years, Johnson and his wife, Marjory, ran the society from a small cabin near Saddleback Butte State Park Saddleback Butte State Park is a state park located in southern California's Antelope Valley. The prominent feature of this park is Saddleback Butte, a butte that measures 3,651 feet (1,113 m) high. The park covers about 2,955 acres (11. , mailing out a quarterly two-page newsletter carrying articles like ``Einstein Proved Spinning Ball World a Delusion'' and ``100 Proofs Earth Not a Globe.'' A fire in 1995 destroyed Johnson's isolated home, along with many Flat Earth Society files. His wife, the society's secretary, died in 1996. Johnson is survived by his brother, Jackie. Joshua Memorial Park and Mortuary mor·tu·ar·y n. A place, especially a funeral home, where dead bodies are kept before burial or cremation. was in charge of arrangements. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Charles K. Johnson, president of the Flat Earth Society since 1971, died Monday in Lancaster at the age of 76. |
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