John Larry Flinchpaugh was born April 16, 1939 in St. Joseph, Mo. and graduated from Central High School in 1957. He attended the University of Kansas majoring in Electrical Engineering and returned to St. Joseph Junior College where he received an Associates of Arts degree. Later he attended Missouri University extension in Kansas City, Mo. and later Tulsa University majoring in accounting.
He was accredited by the International Accountants Society and worked for Phillips Petroleum Co. until April 1976. He then moved to Bakersfield, Ca. to work as an accounting manager for TOSCO. (The Oil and Shale Corporation) In I985 he semi retired and started a company called Consign It Stores Inc that specialized in liquidating estates.
In 2005 he retired and returned to St. Joseph to be closer to his family and write about his experiences in literally growng up in a zoo, and searching for the truth regarding religious and political issues. He has published six books that are listed for sale on amazon.com/books and may be purchased at Hastings Books in St. Joseph. All st. Joseph libraries and the Savannah, Missouri Library have his books to loan.