MUFON of Ohio Newsletter - 2009 07

Magazine Overview

This issue of the MUFON of Ohio Newsletter, dated July 2009, focuses on a collection of UFO sightings and related phenomena, with a particular emphasis on vintage cases from Ohio. The newsletter includes reports from various locations and time periods, investigations into cryptozoological and anomalous events, and discussions on UFO research methodology.

Vintage Northern Ohio UFO Cases

The lead article by Rick Hilberg, Treasurer of MUFON of Ohio, presents several historical UFO sightings from Ohio. A 1938 sighting near Elyria involved faint, round, grayish-blue objects spotted by a family. In November 1955, Rev. and Mrs. Kenneth R. Hoffman reported a large, oval-shaped object resembling two saucers, with eight large windows emitting intense white light, hovering over an intersection in the Cleveland area. Mrs. Hoffman described the craft as pearly aluminum colored. Another report from November 5, 1957, details Olden Moore's sighting of an unidentified flying object in a farmer's field near Huntsburg, Ohio. The object reportedly split into two sections, with one disappearing and the other settling in a field. Moore heard a ticking sound and later found no trace of the object.

Further vintage cases include a 1963 sighting by Euclid school teacher Thomas Doyle, who witnessed a blue-white light pursued by a military bomber. In 1964, near Ashtabula, an object described as large as a tractor truck was seen taking off from the side of Route 90, changing color to bright orange.

Other Sightings and Investigations

The newsletter also features more recent sightings. On May 12, 2009, in Portsmouth, Ohio, a witness observed two similar crafts. Another report from April 2009 in the same area describes an oval-shaped light. A June 12, 2009, sighting in Thornville, Ohio, involved a 'human-like' invisible creature moving rapidly across a lawn. Mini-UFO sightings by Joseph and Judith Rogalski in Auburn Township, Ohio, in June and July 2008 describe small, blinking objects.

Special Reports

Argentina: Five Cows Mutilated in Crucesita Tercera, Nogoyá

This on-site report by VISION OVNI details cattle mutilations in Argentina. Cows were found with missing reproductive organs, eyes, and tongues. A nearby lagoon was also found completely empty. Veterinarians could not explain the cause, and the phenomenon continues to concern livestock farmers and authorities.

UFOs Are Real

Richard D. Seifried, MUFON State Director for Ohio, Emeritus, shares his perspective on UFOs, criticizing debunkers and government agencies for dismissing sightings. He emphasizes the importance of looking at facts and suggests that many presidents have been kept in the dark about UFO evidence.

Mini-UFO Sightings by a Member

Joseph and Judith Rogalski report two sightings of small, blinking objects in Auburn Township, Ohio, in 2008. The objects were approximately 20 inches long and 3 inches high, blinking a bright white light.

Portsmouth, Ohio; Family Experiences

Investigated by Cathy Richards and Connie McNichols, this section details a series of sightings by a family in Portsmouth, Ohio. The primary witness, with a BS in Mathematical Science, observed two crafts. The witness's mother reported seeing an oval-shaped light, and the grandmother recounted earlier sightings, including a saucer-shaped craft with multicolored windows.

Louisville, Kentucky Airport Sightings

Reports from June 24, 2009, describe UFOs observed over Louisville International Airport. Witnesses described objects as rotating cylinders or diamond shapes, moving at a slow and steady speed, hovering, and then disappearing into the clouds.

Pennsylvania UFO Conferences

Announcements for upcoming MUFON conferences in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are included, featuring various speakers on UFO topics.

Strange Giant Insects Seen In Pennsylvania

Researcher Stan Gordon reports on an incident where four people saw several 'giant caterpillar'-like creatures crawling on a road in rural Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The creatures were described as iridescent white, about 7 inches long, segmented, and lacking legs or feet.

Thornville, Ohio Entity Sighting

Investigated by Connie McNichols, this report details a sighting of a 'human-like' invisible creature in Thornville, Ohio, on June 12, 2009. The creature was described as moving rapidly and appearing like the alien from the movie 'Predator.'

Motorist Has Near Collision with Bigfoot in Pennsylvania

This report, investigated by Eric Altman and Stan Gordon, describes a motorist's encounter with a large, hairy, man-like creature on a road in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. The creature was estimated to be at least 6 feet tall, with a large head, wide shoulders, and prominent, dark eyes. The witness also noted unusual scratch marks on her car.

Odd Shaped Triangle Sighted Over Indianapolis, Indiana

This report from the National UFO Reporting Center describes a stealth-like aircraft with folded wings observed over Indianapolis on April 6, 2009. The object performed a 360-degree turn and moved upward into the clouds.

MUFON CMS Reporting System

William E. Jones discusses lessons learned about the MUFON Case Reporting System (CMS), highlighting requirements for investigators, protocols for witness contacts, and the challenges of documenting multi-event cases.

True Believer: Lifetime of study of UFOs honored

This section profiles John P. Timmerman, an 85-year-old UFO researcher honored for his decades of study. Timmerman suspects governments are hiding evidence of UFOs and believes that people need to see the facts to believe.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The newsletter consistently presents UFO sightings and related phenomena as credible subjects worthy of investigation, often contrasting these reports with skeptical viewpoints and debunking efforts. There is a strong emphasis on witness testimony and the importance of documenting these events. The editorial stance appears to be one of open-minded inquiry into unexplained aerial phenomena and related mysteries, encouraging the sharing of information and research within the MUFON community.

This issue of The A.P.R.O. Bulletin, dated August 1977, Volume 26, No. 2, with a cover price of $1.00, focuses on a variety of UFO-related incidents. The main cover story, "DOG DIES AFTER UFO INCIDENT," highlights a case from Uruguay. The magazine also features articles on a 1941 Missouri crash retrieval, occupant sightings in France, a mysterious object found in Brazil, and a recent explanation for UFO sightings involving sky lanterns.

Unidentified Objects, Retrievals, and Cover-Ups (1941 Southeast Missouri)

This section details an alleged 1941 southeast Missouri unidentified crash retrieval, based on a telephone conversation with a twenty-one-year-old man whose grandmother witnessed the event. The grandmother, described as church-going and not prone to exaggeration, reported that one day, three large objects, described as "boulders," appeared overnight on vacant farm land across the street from the General Store. The largest object was approximately six feet tall, its material reflected sunlight like metal, and it radiated a strong stench. The objects did not resemble any known craft from 1941. Later that day, men in a large flatbed truck arrived to retrieve the objects. Residents were puzzled how the strangers knew of the event, as the town had few telephones and little outside traffic. A man dressed in business attire paid the grandmother's father to help uniformed men load the objects. The material was surprisingly light-weight, and the great-grandfather experienced difficulty washing away the smell from his hands. The grandmother also recalled many people in the area witnessing orbs on multiple occasions, with large orbs dispersing into small ones and vice versa. The grandson's interest in astronomy was motivated by this event, and his grandmother's consistent response to his attempts to explain the phenomena with meteorites was, "That is not what I saw." The account is further linked to Leonard H. Stringfield's 1991 report and a letter from Charlette Mann to researcher Ray Fowler, which describes a similar event near Cape Girardeau, Missouri, also in 1941. The Mann account mentions a rounded, shiny metallic piece with no edges or seams. The indication that local residents witnessed the incident is a parallel, with the grandmother's account suggesting about fifty local residents saw the event. A MUFON symposium paper by Ryan Wood suggests the Missouri Institute of Aeronautics, a WWII pilot training school, was the closest military base and potentially involved in the retrieval. An Ohio-Missouri connection is noted, with The Sikeston Herald of May 8, 1941, stating that Ohioans predominated in a new pilot class at the institute.

Dog Dies After UFO Incident (August 1977)

This article reports on an incident involving Angel Maria Tonna, a 52-year-old rancher in Salto, Uruguay. In February and March of 1977, Tonna and his family experienced about a dozen UFO sightings. The most significant event occurred around 4 a.m. on February 18, when Tonna and his foreman, Juan Manuel Fernandez, were moving cows into the barn. All the barn lights went out, and a bright light appeared on the east end of the barn. Tonna investigated and saw a fiery disc-like object hovering a short distance above the ground behind the barn. The object moved, breaking branches off a tree, and hovered over other trees about 100 yards south of the barn at an altitude of about 60 feet. It then moved east and hovered above a concrete bath used for disinfecting cows. Tonna and his dog, Topo, ran back to the west side of the barnyard. The light from the object illuminated the whole barnyard, and Tonna felt attracted to it. As the object moved toward them, Tonna felt electric shocks and intense heat. Six beams of light, like small wings, were visible on each side of the object. The object then moved away, changing color from orange to red, and disappeared into the forest. The generator restarted but produced no electricity due to burned wires. Tonna's 19-year-old son, a veterinary student, witnessed the event. Farm workers also saw a bright light. Following the incident, the dog Topo refused to eat or drink and stayed in the house. Three days later, Topo was found dead on the mound where he had sat and howled at the disc. An autopsy performed by a veterinarian revealed that the animal's hair was sticky, fat was on the outside, and blood vessels were broken, indicating exposure to extreme, unnatural temperatures. The liver was yellow, and all blood vessels were yellow. The conclusion was that "something very hot caused this." Tonna's right arm, which he had raised to shield his eyes, also became red and painful, with a physician attributing the irritation to radiation. Tonna treated himself with home remedies, and the arm eventually cleared up.

Occupants In France (July-August 1968)

This section describes an incident that occurred on August 29, 1967, in Cussac, France. Francois Depleuch (13½ years old) and his sister Anne Marie (9 years old), accompanied by their dog Medor, were watching cows when they saw four figures they initially mistook for children. These figures were clad in black with a silken look, and no features were visible. Near them was a large, brilliant sphere that shone intensely. One figure was seen bending over the ground, while another waved an object that reflected sunlight like a mirror. When Francois called out, the creatures seemed to realize they were being watched. The first figure "flew up" vertically and dived into the sphere, followed by the second and third. The fourth figure rose, descended, picked up something, and then joined the sphere, which began to rise, describing small circles. The sphere reached a height of about 15 meters (50 feet) before the fourth figure disappeared into it. A low, sharp "hissing" noise was heard, mingled with a breeze-like sound. The sphere ascended at full speed to the Northwest. A smell of sulphur was detected, and the cows became uneasy. The dog barked and appeared to want to follow the object. The sphere was described as perfect, about two meters in diameter, very bright silvery, with no visible inscriptions, protrusions, or openings. Anne Marie claimed to see four stilt-like legs supporting the sphere, which Francois attributed to branches. The creatures were about 1.20 meters in height, with pointed skulls and chins, and a "beard" on each side of the head with a tuft under the chin. No eyes or mouth were evident. The incident was investigated by Joel Mesnard and Claude Pavy for "Phenomena Spatiaux," who noted minor differences in testimony that could be attributed to attention levels, but concluded the children were sure of what they witnessed.

Brazilian Object Real Puzzler (July-August 1968)

This article details an incident involving C.S. Dos Santos, a night watchman in Conconde, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 18, 1968. Upon returning home, Dos Santos found a curious object in his courtyard, partly buried in the ground. The object was heavy, grey, polished metal, cylinder-shaped, about the size of a medium powdered milk can, with no seams or rivets. It had dials resembling manometers at each end, with embossed figures resembling Arabic numerals. Dos Santos took the object inside. His wife was concerned it might be a time bomb, but he placed it on the bathroom windowsill. Later that night, his wife was awakened by a sound like a "buzz of a big transformer" and a feeling of intense, stifling heat. She switched off the main electric switches, fearing a short circuit. She then noticed a bright bluish light coming from the bathroom. The noise stopped, the heat dissipated, and the light in the house went out. Dos Santos found a hole in the bathroom roof with tiles scattered on the floor, and the object was gone. The indication is that the object either left on its own, making the hole, or was taken out. The incident was investigated by Dr. Max Berezowsky, M.D., and Dr. Methodius Kalkasieff on behalf of the Brazilian Commission for Confidential Investigation of Unidentified Aerial Objects (CBPCOANI).

Explanation given for UFO mystery (July 8, 2009)

This short article addresses recent sightings of "slow-moving, silent red-orange balls" in the sky, particularly in Marinette, Wisconsin. The explanation provided is that these were likely sky lanterns, traditionally used in East Asian cultures. A reader described witnessing someone light what looked like a paper bag, which then lifted into the air, glowing orange. As it gained altitude, the outline of the bag became invisible, leaving only the orange glow. The lantern traveled northwest with the wind. Scott Nerat of Nerat Merchandising in Menominee confirmed that his store sells sky lanterns, describing them as items that are lit, fill with hot air, and rise into the sky, eventually burning out and falling harmlessly. The article notes that sky lanterns are often used at festivals and ceremonies.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The A.P.R.O. Bulletin consistently focuses on unexplained aerial phenomena, crash retrievals, and encounters with alleged non-human entities. The editorial stance appears to be one of serious investigation and documentation of these events, presenting witness testimony and findings from researchers. There is an emphasis on detailed reporting, including autopsy results and witness interviews, suggesting a commitment to uncovering the truth behind these phenomena. The magazine also highlights the challenges of investigation, such as the difficulty in analyzing evidence and the potential for cover-ups, as suggested by the title of the Missouri article. The inclusion of diverse geographical locations (Missouri, Uruguay, France, Brazil) indicates a global interest in UFO phenomena. The recurring theme of physical effects on living beings (the dog's death, Tonna's arm) and the mysterious nature of the objects' materials and behavior underscore the unusual and potentially dangerous aspects of these encounters.