A Madisonian friend of mine, Marian Anderson, passed away on March 15 of the year 2009. She was 81 years old. I doubt any on this list would know of her. She was nevertheless well liked and respected, especially within one particular field of interest. Back in the summer 1947 when Marian had just turned twenty she observed a follow-the-leader formation of unidentified silver globes cross the skies, apparently under their own power. Marian witnessed this unusual event in, of all places, the wilds of Wisconsin. She could not reconcile what it was that she saw that day. It launched Marian into a life-long quest to better understand what such phenomenon could possibly be.
Over the decades Marian became a clearing house for the eclectic collection of reports pertaining to all sorts of unidentified phenomenon, including of course, UFOs. Being from Wisconsin she focused primarily on reports collected within the Wisconsin area. She was instrumental in connecting people who had seen something unusual with others who witnessed similar phenomenon. Her life-long dedication earned her considerable respect and many kudos among dedicated UFO researchers, actually anyone who had an interest in unusual phenomenon. Marian often attended informal Pot-Luck get-togethers, an event that continues today mostly in the Milwaukee. It was a safe and welcoming way where the interested could catch up on the latest UFO events and listen to talks from visiting researchers. One of my favorite stories of Marian involved her retelling of a close encounter she had with the late Philip Klass while attending a UFO convention. Many who are reading this post are likely aware of the fact that Mr. Klass was considered *the* quintessential UFO debunker, a major gadfly to most who were unfortunate enough to have personally witnessed UFOs. Marian watched a group of believers, some who had no doubt personally witnessed UFOs for themselves, trying to convince Mr. Klass of the legitimacy of their claims. Needless to say their efforts were futile. The longer Marian watched the animated exchanges the more frustrated she became. Finally, in exasperation Marian blurted out to Mr. Klass "...you wouldn't know a UFO if it landed on your head!" Mr. Klass didn't skip a beat and handed Marian his calling card as he proclaimed "Give me a call if you see one!" Thus ended Marian's close encounter with one of the most highly identified objects known within the UFO community. I will miss Marian's no-nonsense spunk. I will miss Marian. Mr. Klass, remember that calling card you gave Marian Anderson? Consider yourself warned. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.Zazzle.com/orionworks
