The truth is out there (6/25/08)
Scott Waldyn
Issue date: 7/2/08 Section: News
Ufologists and residents from Illinois and abroad descended upon the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Tinley Park June 22 for the second UFO Symposium hosted by the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) and the Illinois chapter of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON).
This symposium, titled "Truth... If You Dare," featured lectures by investigative journalist Donald Schmitt, Illinois MUFON state director Sam Maranto and historian Richard Dolan. All three offered different presentations that engaged audiences to probe beyond mainstream media treatment of ufology, stating facts and theories meant to educate and challenge the preconceptions of visitors.
"I think symposia like this are very important because they present the subject to the general public at a level of discourse that you don't necessarily get on the Internet and on the magazines on the stands," said Bill Murphy, former State Director of Michigan MUFON, who was in attendance to support the Illinois chapter of the international organization.
Before joining MUFON, Murphy was introduced to the organization through a student while teaching a college history course. He said he was surprised after attending his first meeting at how serious the often-ridiculed subject was treated by intelligent people from various fields of study.
"The topic may seem outrageous, but the people and the way that the subject was being discussed resonated with (my wife and me)," Murphy said. "It was intelligent people discussing in an intelligent way, a very unusual subject."
MUFON, a scientific, nonprofit research organization founded in 1969, is dedicated to investigating and resolving the phenomenon of unidentified flying objects. Spanning the globe, MUFON is composed and supported by volunteers of various fields, from nuclear physicists to famed actors such as Dan Aykroyd. For Maranto, who presented a lecture on a specific incident outside of Minneapolis, MUFON is a collaboration of many different people interested in learning the truth.
This symposium, titled "Truth... If You Dare," featured lectures by investigative journalist Donald Schmitt, Illinois MUFON state director Sam Maranto and historian Richard Dolan. All three offered different presentations that engaged audiences to probe beyond mainstream media treatment of ufology, stating facts and theories meant to educate and challenge the preconceptions of visitors.
"I think symposia like this are very important because they present the subject to the general public at a level of discourse that you don't necessarily get on the Internet and on the magazines on the stands," said Bill Murphy, former State Director of Michigan MUFON, who was in attendance to support the Illinois chapter of the international organization.
Before joining MUFON, Murphy was introduced to the organization through a student while teaching a college history course. He said he was surprised after attending his first meeting at how serious the often-ridiculed subject was treated by intelligent people from various fields of study.
"The topic may seem outrageous, but the people and the way that the subject was being discussed resonated with (my wife and me)," Murphy said. "It was intelligent people discussing in an intelligent way, a very unusual subject."
MUFON, a scientific, nonprofit research organization founded in 1969, is dedicated to investigating and resolving the phenomenon of unidentified flying objects. Spanning the globe, MUFON is composed and supported by volunteers of various fields, from nuclear physicists to famed actors such as Dan Aykroyd. For Maranto, who presented a lecture on a specific incident outside of Minneapolis, MUFON is a collaboration of many different people interested in learning the truth.
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