George Clappison spent 20 years investigating Bigfoot.

He appeared on Sightings (8.2), in 1995.

The International Cryptozoology Museum, Portland, Maine, was visited on May 11, 2019 by George and his wife Nancy. George stated he coined the term “Grassman” in 1995, due to his investigation of a Bigfoot encounter in the Akron area.

Clappison appeared on Sightings in 1995, and collected footcasts. He donated the original to the Museum.

After a long battle with cancer, George Clappison passed away on March 7, 2025. Survived by Nancy (Young) Clappison, his wife of 24 years, son of the late Harry and America Clappison, brother to Dr. April Gardner-Wentling (William), stepfather to Christopher Retz (Raven), step-pop to Everin, brother-in-law to Sandra Willar (Rick), son-in-law to Jeanie Wrigley (Ray), and survived by several nieces and nephews.

George had a degree in Robotics and worked in mechanical design/engineering, retiring in 2018. He co-authored 2 books on Bigfoot and hosted a local TV show on UFO’s in Ohio. He loved to explore wild caves, camp, and kayak. He was a Boy Scout leader in Ohio for many years. He loved his 3 cats and helped his wife with cat rescue.

A remarkable & entertaining account of the bigfoot phenomenon. Ohio is among the top five states in reported bigfoot incidents because of the state’s vast farmlands (easy food), extensive forest areas, and abundant water resources. Numerous reports of a strange apelike creature continue to emanate from Ohio’s vast rural and forested areas. Now commonly known as bigfoot, the creature is mainly seen in farming communities as it obviously searches for easy food. Large humanlike footprints in cornfields, pasture lands and woodland trails provide tangible evidence of its passage. Joedy Cook and George Clappison have spent almost twenty years investigating the bigfoot phenomenon in Ohio and other eastern states. The information they have gathered on Ohio incidents is presented in this thought-provoking book by Chris Murphy, an author and bigfoot researcher in British Columbia, Canada. While most scientists still reject the possible existence of bigfoot, this book will leave you in awe as to why more is not being done to resolve what is surely North America’s greatest mystery. Originally published in 1997 under a different title, the Murphy, Cook, Clappison team has completely revised and updated the work. Many new sightings have been documented and numerous photographs and illustrations have been added. The book has had a complete makeover, with the provision of more and better information on all aspects of the remarkable bigfoot phenomenon in the State of Ohio. Ohio ranks sixth in North America in the number of bigfoot-related incidents by state or province. The details provided in this book give a clear understanding of just how widespread the phenomenon is in Ohio. The astounding eye-witness accounts will convince even the most ardent skeptics that the bigfoot issue has gone far beyond legend and willful fabrications. About the title: Use of the Ohio term Grassman to identify an unusual ape-man creature appears to go back to at least the turn of the last century. Apparently, sightings of the creature in tall grass (including the young of the species) on Ohio’s plains resulted in the name. As the creature was somewhat terrifying in appearance, it appears the term was used in a foreboding sense with children (i.e., the Grassman will get you!). Descriptions of the Grassman are identical to those of bigfoot or the sasquatch; however, the Grassman appears to have some different habits or ways of life.