Men in Cryptozoology

Hillary Yeti Expedition Member Dies

American ornithologist Melvin Alvah Traylor Jr., 92, has died. He was among the members of the 1960 World Book Encyclopedia Scientific Expedition to the Himalaya led by Sir Edmund Hillary. Melvin Traylor (December 16, 1915 – February 11, 2008) was the son of famed Chicago banker Melvin Alvah Traylor and Mrs. Dorothy Y. Traylor. Traylor was a Lieutenant with the US Marines and served on Guadalcanal during World War II in 1942 where he was awarded with the Silver Star medal. As a Marine Corp officer, Traylor was severely injured during the Battle of Tarawa in the Pacific theatre, where [...]

Scare Fest Appearance

It has just been announced that I will be a presenter at The Scare Fest, the biggest Horror and Paranormal Convention in the Southeast USA. The event is three horror-filled-days on September 12, 13, and 14, 2008. I am intrigued to learn that this gathering will take place in the heart of Fayette County, Kentucky! The Scare Fest will be held at the Lexington Convention Center in Lexington, Kentucky, one of the largest convention centers in the state. I’ll have to explore the twilight language significance of the Fayette Factor while I am there. Here’s some more info from the [...]

Cryptozoology for Beginners

B.T. Makishima has kindly published on Sunday, February 17, 2008, a new blog entitled “My recommendation for a book for beginners.” Makishima writes: My recommendation for beginners in the field of cryptozoology who want a book to read about is Cryptozoology A to Z. I know, I know, it sounds like a little kid’s book. But, if you don’t believe me, check out this info. First of all, it is 258 pages long, second, it alphabetizes the names and histories of the cryptids, and third, well, I think no little kid would understand ANY of it. (Read the rest here.) [...]

50th Anniversary: Slick Begins Snowman Search

This week marks the 50th anniversary of Tom Slick’s most organized, first San Antonio Zoo-sponsored expedition in search of the Yeti. It was formally called the Slick-Johnson Snowman Expedition. Via a feature giving a flashback of 50 years ago, the Los Angeles Times reprinted an old Matt Weinstock column, from the reporter who was sort of the “Herb Caen of Los Angeles.” In this passage, Weinstock talked of the Abominable Snowman and Tom Slick, thus giving a good period view of one newspaper columnist’s way of dealing with the event. Matt Weinstock (You gotta love Weinstock’s 1950s’ haircut.) The following [...]

Robert Rines: “Are They All Liars?”

It reads like an obituary. And after a fashion, it is a pre-obit, a reflection on how it must feel as the end is in sight. The Boston Globe looks at the final and waning days of the Loch Ness Monster hunter Robert Rines. The article carried in today’s New England newspaper is detailed, joyous, and, I must admit, a little sad to read. In 1999, along with my sons (one of whom has a very Scottish name and it’s his birthday today), I came upon Rines and one of his sons in a teahouse on the shores of the [...]

Cryptozoology Futurology

Yes, I have turned up in this new book, What’s Next: The Experts’ Guide: Predictions from 50 of America’s Most Compelling People by Jane Buckingham. I am one of the fifty “most compelling people” in the country. I’m still trying to explain what that means to my sons. I do like the company I get to keep in the pages of this tome, which has just hit the bookstores. What’s Next takes cryptozoology seriously. It contains my next decade’s predictions about where I see the field going and what animals I feel will be discovered. I won’t spoil this author’s [...]