JUST A SOCIAL NOTE

Hello, folks.

Just a note to mention that the "third annual" get-together of the UFO History Group took place at my house this last weekend. People with sharp eyes and wide UFO group experience will note Bill Murphy, Tom Tulien, Jan Aldrich, Rob Swiatek, Linda Murphy, Don Schmitt, Eddie Bullard, and my Kzoo friend Will Matthews circling counterclockwise around the table from the top left. Sue Swiatek had mysteriously vanished when I took the picture {maybe she's standing behind me}.

We talked about many things, all in great humor and camaraderie. In fact the main reason for these get-togethers is to create a collegial small community of friendly and data-sharing UFO researchers, who can make plans and cooperate on big projects. For those who think that this is impossible, see our book,   UFOs and Government. 

Some of what we're contemplating is the distribution of our somewhat unique research files to ourselves and close UFO friends, then the wider UFO research community of people who we think are responsible, and finally to allow universal access {after we think through what issues might reside there.} I have scanned around 50+ gigs of my own files to begin this project. Other things include: Research trips to targeted archives and researcher files, a website, researcher workshops, a second book [probably focussing on the phenomenology], and anything that we can do for data location, scanning, and preservation.

Other than those who were able to make it this time, core individuals include Robert Powell, Steve Purcell, Mark Rodeghier, Richard Thieme, Barry Greenwood, Jerry Clark, Bill Jones [hopefully his health gets better, as we also hope for Jerry], and with any luck Fran Ridge --- I'm probably winging this too rapidly and forgetting someone. Our good Aussie buddy Bill Chalker is surely included in absentia. We hope to grow this alliance into a "UFOlogy" separate from the endless howling embarrassments of the UFOriacs, and the non-sharing non-collegial egomaniacs. We welcome friends, but toxic persons need not inquire.

This group is a bunch of friendly folks who believe that it is possible to make some progress in this tough field without being idiots or megalomaniacs. If you must have a hard-to-work "hobby", why not at least enjoy the time and your companions? The picture above is, by the way, Rob and Sue trying to get their picture taken with Don. The reason that they and Bill and Jan are laughing is that their chosen photographer, the esteemed Dr. Bullard, was once again repeatedly losing a battle with modern technology. Several pictures of the floor and his own nose were preserved for future mystification.

I will probably attempt to host these get-togethers twice a year in the future [perhaps May and September-ish]. We'll accomplish things, particularly in digging out and preserving UFO information, and making it available in several forms. Hopefully there are some of you out there who might want to be part of such a "lofty" goal.

.... looks like a pleasant path into the future to me.

Peace.