Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Father of Ufology
Early Career:
Dr. J. Allen Hynek,
often called the "Father of Ufology," was professor of astronomy at
Ohio State University, and later, chairman of the astronomy department at
Northwestern University.
Years with Project Blue Book:
In the 1950's and
1960's he was an astronomical consultant to the U. S. Government's
"Project Blue Book." Hynek soon found that the Air Force's main
course of action was to debunk UFO sightings, irregardless of the evidence.
After interviewing
the reporters of sightings, and seeing that many of them were responsible and
sane individuals, he began to change his mind. The UFO enigma could not be
explained away so easily, he found.
Ufology Career:
After Bluebook closed
shop in 1969, Hynek began the process of forming his own UFO research
organization, composed of serious, open minded technical experts, and
scientists.
In 1972, he published
the landmark book, "The UFO Experience." This book would contain
Hynek's system of categorizing UFO reports, which included the term,
"close encounters," which is a standard for UFO classification to
date. Included were a myriad of heretofore unknown UFO case files.
Legacy:
He started the Center
for UFO Studies in 1973, and served as scientific director until his death in
1986. His center continues today in his namesake, and is highly regarded by the
UFO community. His classification system is still used today as the standard
for categorizing UFO reports.
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