Arkansas Ties

Many of you may recognize our beloved Marylake Monastery.  I say “our” because it is one of those places that belong to the hearts of many in addition to the actual owners.  Well this story is not about Marylake, it’s about Dr. John R. Brinkley, who formerly owned Marylake.  Now Dr. John was born in North Carolina and left tracks far and wide in Connecticut, Tennessee, Kansas, Arkansas, Texas and probably a half dozen other states.  He became famous for implanting male goat glands into men with erectile problems, even allowing them to pick the goat.  He later became known as the crazy doctor who was a shyster, huckster, con-man and quack, however,….

In 1932 and 1934, he ran as a candidate for governor in Kansas and received over 180,000 votes, which is certainly nothing to snooze over.

This campaign souvenir recently sold on ebay for over $500.00.

This was his campaign truck, rigged up with microphones and a platform that dropped down, allowing him instant self-promotion as he drove around.

Dr. John and his 2nd wife Minnie, with whom he had one son.  His 1st wife was Sarah “Sally” Mingus, with whom he had 3 children.  John and Minnie (Jones) settled for a while in Judsonia, Arkansas, where he obtained his license to practice.  After that, they were off to Milford, Kansas where he proceeded to make his mark opening his first hospital and radio station, KFKB, “Kansas First, Kansas Best” which he used to kick start his accumulation of wealth.

He lost his medical license in Kansas and left to open a new hospital and radio station (XER-AM), “border blaster” across the border from Del Rio Texas and proceeded to broadcast things that were illegal in American like fortune telling.  Del Rio became known as Hillbilly Hollywood with a radio lineup of Patsy Montana, Gene Autry, The Carter Family, and Red Foley.  In 1934, Mexico also revoked his license and shut his radio station down.  He continued running a hospital in Del Rio and built a mansion, which was considered his primary residence.  It is now on the Texas National Landmark list.

Historical markers in front of the estate read:

Dr. John R. Brinkley

North Carolina native John R. Brinkley opened a medical clinic and radio station in Kansas and promoted controversial medical practices, including one that used goad gland implants to increase sexual “pep” in men.  He became rich but was critized by the American Medical Association and the Federal Radio Station SER in Vill Acuna, Mexico.  He was a color-ful, charitable individual, known for his lavish lifestyle.  He buoyed the local economy during the Great Depression and brought much attention to Del Rio.  Despite fame and wealth, authorities shut down the Brinkley enterprise in 1938.

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Brinkley Mansion

This site was once farmland irrigated by Del Rio’s Canal System.  Construction on this house began in the early 1930′s.  In 1934, infamous “Goad-Gland Doctor” John R. Brinkley and his wife, Minnie (Jones), bought the home, which exhibits elements of the Spanish eclectic style.  The couple enlarged it and added elaborate water features on the grounds, complete with menagerie, flashing colored lights and loudspeakers connected to a pipe organ inside.  Local residents often came to dance to the music and enjoy the light show at the local landmark, which the Brinkley family owned for 46 years.

In 1938,   Dr. John erected a big marker on the side of the road in North Carolina dedicated to his Aunt Sally, who raised him as a mother.

The Boyhood Home of Dr. John R. Brinkley and his Aunt Sally.  Her grave is on the hilltop across the river.  She is remembered and loved for her ministrations to the sick of this community.  This marker erected in 1937 in loving memory by her “Little Boy Johnnie”.  She was the only mother I ever knew.  J.R. Brinkley, M.D.

The state of North Carolina came back and erected a historical marker that reads:

John R. Brinkley

1885 – 1942

Medical maverick, radio and advertising pioneer, candidate for governor of Kansas. Boyhood home stood across the river.

In 1938, a professional enemy of his, Morris Fishbein, published a two-part series exposing Brinkley’s questionable medical credentials.  Brinkley countered by suing for libel and $250,000. He took a major hit when Texas Judge R.J. McMilan ruled with Fishbein, stating that Brinkley “should be considered a charlatan and a crack charlatan and a quack in the ordinary, well-understood meaning of those words”.  This unleashed a barrage of lawsuits and Brinkley fled back to Arkansas opening a new hospital over on Schiller Street.

This is now an empty lot in Little Rock.

This of course is the more well-known Hospital, located out Arch Street, previously a country club and now known as the monastery.

In 1942, Dr. John passed away.  The funeral was held in Del Rio and he was buried in the Jones family lot at Forest Hills Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee.  Judging by the number of flowers at his funeral, he continued to have many friends who loved and admired him.

His grave marker reads simply:

• Old Time Radio Catalog
• America’s Greatest Conman
• Dr. John Brinkley: Quite the Quack
• City of Smoke: The Unsubtle Knife
• Keep My Words: A Major Life Experience

References:

“John R. Brinkley.” North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program. North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, 1994. Web. 15 Jan. 2011. <http://www.ncmarkers.com>.

John R. Brinkley. 1932. Photograph. Kansas Historical Society, Topeka, Kansas. Kansas Memory. Kansas Historical Society. Web. 14 Jan. 2011. <http://www.kansasmemory.org>.

Hale, Will T., and Dixon L. Merritt. A History of Tennessee and Tennesseans: the Leaders and Representative Men in Commerce, Industry and Modern Activities. Chicago: Lewis Pub., 1913. John R. Brinkley – Short Biography. Google. Web. 15 Jan. 2011. <Google Books>.

“Gift Matching Member Gives 800.” The Rotarian 49.6 (1936). The Rotarian: December 1936. Google. Web. 15 Jan. 2011. <Google Books>.

The Grave of the Goat Gland Doctor. 2008. Photograph. Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis: The City Magazine. By Vance Lauderdale. Contemporary Media, Inc, 31 Mar. 2008. Web. 15 Jan. 2011. <http://www.memphisflyer.com/AskVanceBlog/archives/2008/03/31/the-grave-of-the-goat-gland-doctor>.