2008 Woodie Awards
Zombie Squad
By: Andrea Noble
Issue date: 11/3/05 Section: Culture
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Spencer, a photography major, is one of the founders of the Zombie Squad, a St. Louis based survivalist and charity fundraising organization. The group's mission is to educate the public about preparedness in the face of disaster, be it earthquake, bird flu pandemic or an outbreak of the living dead.
The Zombie Squad is made up of a quirky mix of members; many who join are sci-fi nerds, gun touting militia types or body modificationists. However, a few common threads bond them: a penchant for zombie films and an overwhelming desire to not let their brains become zombie chow.
The idea for the Zombie Squad started after a late night of zombie movie watching.
"We thought we'd do better at not getting eaten," said William Spencer, a founding member and Jennifer's husband.
The idea only grew from there. What began as a group of friends meeting regularly to watch zombie flicks has now turned into a nationwide survivalist movement. The Zombie Squad Web site, http://www.zombiehunters.org, was created two years ago. Since then, its membership has exploded. William Spencer, who works as a piercer at Cheap Trx on South Grand Boulevard, estimates there are about 100 squad members in St. Louis, but when counting the number of members registered online, membership leaps to about 2,000. Chapters have sprouted all over the nation and the St. Louis team is currently working with other groups to help them acquire official nonprofit status so that they can hold their own fundraisers.