Hi, James,
It tells me that they knew LaPaz because "[In 1942,]
LaPaz took leave from Ohio State to the New Mexico
Proving Ground during World War II where he was a
Research Mathematician, and later as Technical Director,
Operations Analysis Section, Second Air Force. This is
where he became interested in ballistics as well as
meteorites. His work with the Second Air Force included
investigation of Japanese Fugo balloon bombs that had
reached the United States."
He was a past technical advisor with a history of military
and government employment, a known quantity (who
already had security clearances), and who knew all the
other scientists and technologists who would be involved
in studying the "green fireballs." He was a logical choice,
from the standpoint of the government.
Nininger was an unknown quantity to them, not associated
with any institution, and a less well-known figure by far,
even if he was a much better scientist and researcher.
Sterling K. Webb
------------------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: "James Balister" <balisterja...@att.net>
To: <meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 27, 2010 1:51 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] "Who is Dr. LaPaz"
Remember this, When the government need advice they called on LaPaz, not
Nininger! What does that tell you?
----- Original Message ----
From: Sterling K. Webb <sterling_k_w...@sbcglobal.net>
To: al mitt <alm...@kconline.com>; Shawn Alan <photoph...@yahoo.com>;
meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com
Sent: Sat, February 27, 2010 1:48:14 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] "Who is Dr. LaPaz"
Al, List,
History always decides these rivalries. There will
never be
a posting on this (or any other) List with
the subject "Who is Harvey
Nininger"!
Sterling K.
Webb
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----
Original Message ----- From: "al mitt" <>
ymailto="mailto:alm...@kconline.com";
href="mailto:alm...@kconline.com";>alm...@kconline.com>
To: "Shawn
Alan" <> href="mailto:photoph...@yahoo.com";>photoph...@yahoo.com>; <>
ymailto="mailto:meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com";
href="mailto:meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com";>meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com>
Sent:
Saturday, February 27, 2010 8:57 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] "Who is Dr.
LaPaz"
Hi Shawn and all,
I am sure that some
people will disagree with my assessment of LaPaz, but he
organized the
collection at the UNM in Albuquerque, New Mexico and seem to
want to
discredit Dr. Nininger every chance he got. While he did contribute
some
to the understanding of meteorites he was no giant in the field and
didn't contribute as much as Nininger was by any means.
A lot
of his fame is the Norton County Meteorite that he outbid Nininger on.
Nininger was standing on top of the main mass of the Norton County
Meteorite
when LaPaz and another museum head came onto the site. My
understanding that
Nininger used some of LaPaz's information to
triangulate the fall but it
takes more than one set of observations for
this.
He help organize the Meteortic's Society with Nininger
but later tried to
get Dr. Nininger thrown out of the society. I believe
that Nininger
resigned. He did spend a great deal of time trying to make
Nininger look
bad. The two were obvious rivials but not in a healthy
sense. Probably
because Harvey Nininger was making his living finding
and selling meteorites
in order to fund his hunts and research. BTW
Harvey made attempts to get the
scientists and museums of that time to
fund his program in order to add to
their collections but no one thought
it would work except Farrington.
Farrington was older and had health
problems but wished he could help in
Nininger's pursuit.
LaPaz was also a hypocrite who frowned on anyone collecting meteorites
but
after his death a sizeable collection was found in his basement, he
was an
obvious closet collector. While he didn't help Nininger out, I
have always
felt that he might have been one of Nininger's inspirations
to keep going
and not letting anyone get in his way. Same with no one
wanting to give
Nininger a grant or position at any of the main museums
or scientific
institutions of that time. It might have drove Nininger to
work harder in
order to get it done.
--AL
Mitterling
----- Original Message ----- From: "Shawn
Alan" <> href="mailto:photoph...@yahoo.com";>photoph...@yahoo.com>
To:
<>
href="mailto:meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com";>meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 27, 2010 12:26 AM
Subject: [meteorite-list]
"Who is Dr. LaPaz"
Hello Listers,
Its
been a crazy day in NYC today with the snow and slush but all has
melted
and I received a package in the mail today of a Norton County
meteorite,
weighing at 2.33g from Dr LaPaz collection. Within the package, I also
received copies of news paper clippings From the Norton Daily
Telegram,
dated May 1, 1948 from the meteorite fall, and Dr LaPaz comes up in
every
article. In one of the clippings there is a photograph of him
standing by
the meteorite being lifted out of the ground. I haven't read
anything about
Dr LaPaz till a week ago and was wondering what
significance had he had in
the meteorite community? I also Wiki him and
from what I saw on Wiki, Dr
LaPaz was smart guy and got his PhD at a
young age. Lastly, along with the
meteorite specimens I also received a
trinitite fragment weighing at 1.79g
that he had collected from the
Trinity project and was wondering if people
on the list knew much about
this stuff.
Shawn Alan
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