Ed Walters...Making Sense?...or Total Nutjob? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

DarkDante · 02-09-2007, 07:18 PM

So I wanted to bring this up although I'm not sure how many of you have actually seen this segment yet (I can offhand including myself think of 3 who have seen this one) but the background is easily researchable online so here goes:

Ed Walters was a building contractor from Gulf Breeze, Florida who on 11-11-87 claimed to have photographed five shots outside his home showing what appears to be a very clear picture of a U.F.O. - In my opinion the shots taken by Ed are among the clearest shots of what appears to be an alien spacecraft ever documented on "Unsolved Mysteries".

At the time UM initially filmed the segment, Ed Walters declined not only to appear on camera in an interview (even silhouetted) BUT also asked that his real name not be used by the program (he went under the pseudonym of "Ray".)

In the absence of an interview with Walters himself, UM opted to show his photographs along with reports of similar sightings over a period of several months by other Gulf Breeze residents that corrborate the existence of the object seen in Ed's photographs.

Now here is the kicker, two years after the inital broadcast very strong rumours (backed up by even stronger evidence) began to circulate that Ed had somehow hoaxed the entire "Gulf Breeze/UFO" incident.

Among the two most compelling pieces of information brought to light in the UPDATE was after Ed and his family moved out of the home they were living in at the time of the sightings, another family moved into the same house and discovered a small toy-like model of a UFO in the attic which looked very similar (though not identical) to the UFO in Ed's photographs.

This lead several to believe that possibly Ed was using these models to hoax his neighbors and the media and possibly had a similar model in hand that identically matched the one seen in the photos. Another interesting fact about the photos were the portholes on the model UFO were constructed from Ed Walters' own drafting paper which served as another strong link between the "toy-model" and Ed Walters.

The flip side of this is Ed claims the drafting paper used to make the portholes came from paper he hadn't started using until 1989 two years after the inital sighting. Is it possible then that Ed Walters was so affected by his experience in 1987 that he created a toy model from memory of what he saw that night so he could accurately demostrate to others what the craft looked like close up?

More damaging evidence surfaced when a teenage crony of Ed's came forward claiming that Ed had been hoaxing UFO photographs for years with his help. He produced a series of photographs that Ed had asked him to hoax and also demonstrated how these were accomplished with a black backdrop and some creative camera work. Ed Walters denies all of these allegations and indeed the photographs the young man produced for Unsolved Mysteries were not among any that Ed Walters had ever released to the public therefore bringing in the hoaxed photos connection to Ed Walters into question.

Finally a noted photographer demonstrated how easily one of Ed's actual "UFO Photos" could've been hoaxed in a similar fashion as described by the teenage crony of Ed's. The photographer took a similar shot and placed it side by side with a photograph that Ed claims is an actual picture of alien spacecraft. When placed side by side the similarity is striking to just about anyone whose seen it.

Although as the "update" wears on Ed Walters (who unlike the first time UM covered his story, agreed to appear on camera) becomes increasingly agitated he does mantain that he did not perpetrate a hoax. Also Ed seems to have had a great deal of support among the Gulf Breeze residents at the time, as more that 150 people reported sightings at the same time Ed took his photos and a good number of people appeared throughout both segments backing up Ed's claims and refusing to believe what they saw was the result of a hoax.

On the flip side most of the professional people/experts interviewed in the segments (scientists/the town mayor at the time) feel Ed did perpetrate a hoax on the Gulf Breeze community at large.

Is this the case of a nutjob whipping up his whole town into a "UFO frenzy" in hopes of gaining some mass media attention?

Are the people who support Ed's claims of sightings simply too proud to admit on national television that they have been duped by a very clever con-man?

Or is this all something else entirely?

Any thoughts?

crystaldawn · 02-09-2007, 10:06 PM

Ed Walters is a total nutjob and a conman in my opinion. I think the reason his initial photographs looked so much like the objects people in Gulf Breeze had reported seeing was that he probably read accounts in the newspaper and saw them on the news and then made his little flying saucer to look like that. I'm not sure if his initial agenda was to get attention or what but you notice that at first he remained anonymous and then when the photographs started getting a lot of attention he decided to come forward. He probably saw dollar signs and thought of possible book deals and even sales of his photographs would garner. I do believe what the people found in his old house is authentic and that Walters just forgot to get rid of it when he moved out. I also believe the young guy who came forward with his claims against Walters because really what did he have to prove by coming forth? He did get attention but I wouldn't say any of it was positive. Also the only time that there were witnesses to what Walters claimed were UFO's in the sky notice how those pictures looked nothing like the initial photos, the ones photographed with witnesses were nothing more than flashes of light whereas the first photos Walters unleashed was a perfectly formed spaceship. There is a lot about this on the net and Walters still holds to his claims and of course claims to have photographed more since and has apparently written two books and at least one entails the numerous encounters he's had with aliens and they've even abducted him on occasion. Thats what makes me think he's a nutcase as well as a conman.

SP4CE INV4DERZ · 02-09-2007, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crystaldawn

Ed Walters is a total nutjob and a conman in my opinion. I think the reason his initial photographs looked so much like the objects people in Gulf Breeze had reported seeing was that he probably read accounts in the newspaper and saw them on the news and then made his little flying saucer to look like that. I'm not sure if his initial agenda was to get attention or what but you notice that at first he remained anonymous and then when the photographs started getting a lot of attention he decided to come forward. He probably saw dollar signs and thought of possible book deals and even sales of his photographs would garner. I do believe what the people found in his old house is authentic and that Walters just forgot to get rid of it when he moved out. I also believe the young guy who came forward with his claims against Walters because really what did he have to prove by coming forth? He did get attention but I wouldn't say any of it was positive. Also the only time that there were witnesses to what Walters claimed were UFO's in the sky notice how those pictures looked nothing like the initial photos, the ones photographed with witnesses were nothing more than flashes of light whereas the first photos Walters unleashed was a perfectly formed spaceship. There is a lot about this on the net and Walters still holds to his claims and of course claims to have photographed more since and has apparently written two books and at least one entails the numerous encounters he's had with aliens and they've even abducted him on occasion. Thats what makes me think he's a nutcase as well as a conman.

Total nutjob too. I just didn't want to say anything to spoil things for your V8 "customers"

But seriously what she said I agree with totally. Didn't you tell me his books retail for 99c at gas stations?!?!

crystaldawn · 02-09-2007, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Space Invaderz

Didn't you tell me his books retail for 99c at gas stations?!?!

Actually they start at a whopping 1 cent on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Ufo-Abductions...e=UTF8&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/Gulf-Breeze-Si...e=UTF8&s=books

hovaslash · 02-12-2007, 10:44 AM

Ha! I actually bought Missing Time by Budd Hopkins for 1 cent on Amazon sometime back........the segment was way better. He's trying to put something over on everyone as well.

wiseguy182 · 02-13-2007, 11:35 PM

Ed Walters is insane and fraudulent. I view the UFO cases with an open mind, but the odds of the UFO's making that many appearances in the same area in the same time frame is really far-fetched. The paper plate model and the boy who came forward really clenched the deal for me. It was quite an elaborate hoax, but a hoax nonetheless.

wiseguy182 · 02-14-2007, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkDante

So I wanted to bring this up although I'm not sure how many of you have actually seen this segment yet (I can offhand including myself think of 3 who have seen this one) but the background is easily researchable online so here goes:

Unsure about the actual segment, but I recall seeing the first update when it originally aired. I would have been around 8 or 9 at the time. I vividly remember the new owners of the Ed Walter's house finding the paper plate model. That stuck with me. I thought he was lying then, and as I mentioned above, I still do. Just saw the segment/update yesterday.

Reflecting on it, I am suprised my parents let me watch UM every week when I was a kid.

justins5256 · 02-14-2007, 10:24 AM

I tend to think that Ed Walters is a hoaxer/attention seeker. I have the book that has been mentioned above. The chapters go into a lot more detail about Ed's recovered memories of alien abduction and hearing voices (like the voice of God) during sightings. The case is a lot weirder than what was portrayed on UM. Believe me when I say the book is pure, unfiltered bullsh*t.

Todd Mueller · 01-23-2008, 03:21 PM

Here's another story I just watched again recently...

Ed's photos are so fake. You can tell just by looking at them.

The model is crap, too.

I hate people like him because it discredits legimate UFO sightings. Mind you I'm not saying they are necessarily from other planets, but real "things you can't identify."

I think he was trying to capitalize on real UFO sights. What a tool.

ididn'tdoit · 01-23-2008, 04:14 PM

Yeah, I agree with all you guys, I can't believe this guy actually sitting there and denying that it was a hoax with all the evidence pointing against him, geesh!!!

Btw CD, I just love the scene from your "Memorable Quotes Segment" when Stack says: "A visitor from outer space...? Or a masterful hoax...?" Sure made me laugh

crystaldawn · 01-23-2008, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ididn'tdoit

Btw CD, I just love the scene from your "Memorable Quotes Segment" when Stack says: "A visitor from outer space...? Or a masterful hoax...?" Sure made me laugh

Lol! Yes I think when he said "visitor from outer space" he was really talking about Ed Walters...

Todd Mueller · 01-23-2008, 04:27 PM

Funny... after watching this I just happened to do a search on Google and found this article from last week.

Sounds like some people weren't happy Ed's photos were fake.

________________________________________________________________

Unsolved mystery: 20 years later, 'Gulf Breeze UFO' phenomenon still fascinates public

Rebecca Ross
Pensacola NewsJournal
rross@pnj.com

In 1987, on an ordinary November afternoon, Art Hufford saw something ... extraordinary.

The Pensacola native was driving along Bayou Boulevard near Birnam Woods with his wife, Mary, when he spotted a strange object in the sky.

"It was grayish metallic in color, and we observed that it had a white dome light and a white light emitting from its base," Hufford, 65, said. "We had no idea what it was and quickly lost sight of it behind the trees."

Two decades later, Hufford is still fascinated by the unidentified, flying object and the spate of similar sightings that would become the "Gulf Breeze UFOs'' phenomenon.

"It definitely put Gulf Breeze on the map and drew people from all over the world," he said.

Today, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., Hufford will present "20 Years Later ... The Gulf Breeze UFO Sightings: The Real Story," during Unlimited Horizons' monthly program at the South Santa Rosa Recreation Center in Gulf Breeze.

His multimedia presentation will cover 11 years of local UFO history, beginning with Gulf Breeze businessman Ed Walters' controversial photographs (1987-88), the Skywatch era (1990-92), when dozens of people documented sightings over Gulf Breeze/Pensacola, and conclude with other Gulf Breeze UFO events through 1998.

"People are still fascinated by the subject," Alan Abel, president of Unlimited Horizons, said. "We offer UFO-related programs three or four times a year, because of the high interest."

Hufford doesn't seem like the stereotypical — by media standards — UFO believer.

Family photos, and not "I Heart Aliens" posters, adorn the walls of his gracious Cordova Park home. The well-spoken Rotary Club member graduated from Georgia Tech in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering. He retired from Monsanto Company in 1987, after a 33-year career. He and his wife of 46 years are active members of First Presbyterian Church of Pensacola.

"My reputation in the community made me a more credible UFO witness," Hufford said. "But it took us a while to 'come out' when this all began."

A phenomenon takes off

The Gulf Breeze UFO phenomenon began in November of 1987, when Ed Walters submitted Polaroid photographs of alleged UFOs in the skies over the city to the Gulf Breeze Sentinel.

The objects were remarkably similar to what Hufford and his wife had seen.

"My wife called me at work and said, 'You aren't going to believe this,'" Hufford said, laughing. "We hadn't really talked any more about our sighting, so it was a shock to see it in the newspaper, a month later."

Hufford had tried explaining to himself what they had seen.

"I thought maybe it was some type of advanced military aircraft, but I couldn't imagine why they'd fly it over Pensacola in daylight. Ed's photographs and the other eyewitness reports were confirmation for me that I'd seen something from outside of our world," he said.

As additional eyewitnesses reported UFO sightings, Hufford began to speak more openly about his strange experience.

"As people found out, more and more came forward, even at church, to say, 'Let me tell you what I saw,'" he said. "They felt that if I had seen something, it was OK for them to admit they'd seen something, too."

Intelligent life out there

Hufford has no difficulty reconciling his belief in extraterrestrial life with his strong Christian faith.

"For me, God is the creator of the universe," he said. "I always felt that in the vastness of space, there had to be other, intelligent life out there."

The summer after his sighting, Hufford took part in a local taping for the television show, "Unsolved Mysteries," meeting other UFO witnesses and researchers.

That year (1988), he joined the Mutual UFO Network Inc. (MUFON). He was a certified field investigator by 1989, and served as president of Pensacola/Gulf Breeze MUFON from 1990 to 2003. He was involved in the re-investigation of the Ed Walters case in 1990, when Walters was accused of perpetrating a photographic hoax after a model made of paper and foam plates was found in the attic of his former home, as reported in a story by the Pensacola News Journal.

Navarre residents Rex and Carol Salisberry, former state section directors of the local MUFON branch, were assigned to the initial Walters' investigation. Like many critics, they concluded the Walters photos were a hoax.

"We were kicked out of MUFON for our findings. A lot of people just didn't want to hear any critical analysis of that case. Our report was never released or acknowledged by MUFON," Carol Salisberry explained.

Hufford's re-investigation report, released in the January 1993 MUFON UFO Journal, came to a different conclusion.

"We studied the evidence and concluded that the model was made from blueprints of a home designed by Walters in 1989, two years after his initial photographs," Hufford said. "The fact that dozens of other people had seen the very same object that Ed photographed was lost amidst the hoax accusations. I can tell you there was no 'double exposure' on my car's windshield."

Skywatching begins

In 1991, he began skywatching with a group that became known as the Gulf Breeze Research Team. The group, led by his friends and fellow MUFON investigators, Bruce and Anne Morrison, documented more than 170 alleged UFO sightings — primarily of roving red lights — in the Gulf Breeze area during a 20-month period.

The Morrisons held the popular sky watches at Shoreline Park and the Gulf Breeze end of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in order to "scientifically document" local sightings.

"We were out there every night, because this was serious business for us. We wanted to know what was happening, and why," said Anne Morrison, 72, of Pensacola. "We weren't looking for little green men. We were trying to understand a mystery."

Salisberry said she would never dispute someone's personal experience, but the Gulf Breeze UFO phenomenon proved for her, that "personal bias can outweigh science."

"I went to a couple of the watches, and to me, it looked like flares in the sky," she said. "But what is a UFO? It's an unidentified object. It's very subjective."

Hufford said his experience made it easy for him to discern true UFOs from other possibilities such as airplanes, helicopters, meteors, weather balloons or fireworks.

"Not every mysterious light in the sky was a UFO," he said.

An open mind

Morrison dismissed the public perception of UFO watchers as "kooks."

"There is a fringe element that makes the rest of us look bad, but at this point, I don't care whether people believe me or not," she said. "You have to have an open mind, and not everyone wants to believe there might be something out there."

Hufford thinks that not everyone is ready to embrace such a notion.

"I don't try to convince anyone of anything. I just continue to tell my story and let people draw their own conclusions," he said.

And if Gulf Breeze truly was visited by curious, unearthly visitors, Hufford finds the idea a comforting one.

"I think that these periodic visits could be their way of getting us used to the idea that we're not alone in the universe," he said. "Maybe they're letting us know we're not the only kid in the sandbox."

supersally1974 · 01-23-2008, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crystaldawn

Actually they start at a whopping 1 cent on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Ufo-Abductions...e=UTF8&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/Gulf-Breeze-Si...e=UTF8&s=books

Wow. Those book covers?
Classy and lend an air of credibility!

James T · 01-24-2008, 07:55 AM

Lol, yes I have both of them- the first book was actually a pretty good read but the abduction one is basically just an extended version that reeked of cashing in and lost even more credibility.

Quote:

Originally Posted by supersally1974

Wow. Those book covers?
Classy and lend an air of credibility!

marlins3 · 01-28-2008, 04:23 PM

This case is hilarious. The paper plate model is one of the funniest things to ever appear on UM

02-09-2007, 07:18 PM	#1
DarkDante Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 27, 2002 Posts: 1,569	Ed Walters...Making Sense?...or Total Nutjob? So I wanted to bring this up although I'm not sure how many of you have actually seen this segment yet (I can offhand including myself think of 3 who have seen this one) but the background is easily researchable online so here goes: Ed Walters was a building contractor from Gulf Breeze, Florida who on 11-11-87 claimed to have photographed five shots outside his home showing what appears to be a very clear picture of a U.F.O. - In my opinion the shots taken by Ed are among the clearest shots of what appears to be an alien spacecraft ever documented on "Unsolved Mysteries". At the time UM initially filmed the segment, Ed Walters declined not only to appear on camera in an interview (even silhouetted) BUT also asked that his real name not be used by the program (he went under the pseudonym of "Ray".) In the absence of an interview with Walters himself, UM opted to show his photographs along with reports of similar sightings over a period of several months by other Gulf Breeze residents that corrborate the existence of the object seen in Ed's photographs. Now here is the kicker, two years after the inital broadcast very strong rumours (backed up by even stronger evidence) began to circulate that Ed had somehow hoaxed the entire "Gulf Breeze/UFO" incident. Among the two most compelling pieces of information brought to light in the UPDATE was after Ed and his family moved out of the home they were living in at the time of the sightings, another family moved into the same house and discovered a small toy-like model of a UFO in the attic which looked very similar (though not identical) to the UFO in Ed's photographs. This lead several to believe that possibly Ed was using these models to hoax his neighbors and the media and possibly had a similar model in hand that identically matched the one seen in the photos. Another interesting fact about the photos were the portholes on the model UFO were constructed from Ed Walters' own drafting paper which served as another strong link between the "toy-model" and Ed Walters. The flip side of this is Ed claims the drafting paper used to make the portholes came from paper he hadn't started using until 1989 two years after the inital sighting. Is it possible then that Ed Walters was so affected by his experience in 1987 that he created a toy model from memory of what he saw that night so he could accurately demostrate to others what the craft looked like close up? More damaging evidence surfaced when a teenage crony of Ed's came forward claiming that Ed had been hoaxing UFO photographs for years with his help. He produced a series of photographs that Ed had asked him to hoax and also demonstrated how these were accomplished with a black backdrop and some creative camera work. Ed Walters denies all of these allegations and indeed the photographs the young man produced for Unsolved Mysteries were not among any that Ed Walters had ever released to the public therefore bringing in the hoaxed photos connection to Ed Walters into question. Finally a noted photographer demonstrated how easily one of Ed's actual "UFO Photos" could've been hoaxed in a similar fashion as described by the teenage crony of Ed's. The photographer took a similar shot and placed it side by side with a photograph that Ed claims is an actual picture of alien spacecraft. When placed side by side the similarity is striking to just about anyone whose seen it. Although as the "update" wears on Ed Walters (who unlike the first time UM covered his story, agreed to appear on camera) becomes increasingly agitated he does mantain that he did not perpetrate a hoax. Also Ed seems to have had a great deal of support among the Gulf Breeze residents at the time, as more that 150 people reported sightings at the same time Ed took his photos and a good number of people appeared throughout both segments backing up Ed's claims and refusing to believe what they saw was the result of a hoax. On the flip side most of the professional people/experts interviewed in the segments (scientists/the town mayor at the time) feel Ed did perpetrate a hoax on the Gulf Breeze community at large. Is this the case of a nutjob whipping up his whole town into a "UFO frenzy" in hopes of gaining some mass media attention? Are the people who support Ed's claims of sightings simply too proud to admit on national television that they have been duped by a very clever con-man? Or is this all something else entirely? Any thoughts?
	Last edited by DarkDante; 02-09-2007 at 10:54 PM.

02-09-2007, 10:06 PM	#2
crystaldawn Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 17, 2002 Location: Illinois Posts: 4,261	Ed Walters is a total nutjob and a conman in my opinion. I think the reason his initial photographs looked so much like the objects people in Gulf Breeze had reported seeing was that he probably read accounts in the newspaper and saw them on the news and then made his little flying saucer to look like that. I'm not sure if his initial agenda was to get attention or what but you notice that at first he remained anonymous and then when the photographs started getting a lot of attention he decided to come forward. He probably saw dollar signs and thought of possible book deals and even sales of his photographs would garner. I do believe what the people found in his old house is authentic and that Walters just forgot to get rid of it when he moved out. I also believe the young guy who came forward with his claims against Walters because really what did he have to prove by coming forth? He did get attention but I wouldn't say any of it was positive. Also the only time that there were witnesses to what Walters claimed were UFO's in the sky notice how those pictures looked nothing like the initial photos, the ones photographed with witnesses were nothing more than flashes of light whereas the first photos Walters unleashed was a perfectly formed spaceship. There is a lot about this on the net and Walters still holds to his claims and of course claims to have photographed more since and has apparently written two books and at least one entails the numerous encounters he's had with aliens and they've even abducted him on occasion. Thats what makes me think he's a nutcase as well as a conman.

02-12-2007, 10:44 AM	#5
hovaslash Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Apr 10, 2006 Location: ma Posts: 87	Ha! I actually bought Missing Time by Budd Hopkins for 1 cent on Amazon sometime back........the segment was way better. He's trying to put something over on everyone as well.

02-13-2007, 11:35 PM	#6
wiseguy182 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 11, 2006 Location: Wendy's salad bar Posts: 7,030	Ed Walters is insane and fraudulent. I view the UFO cases with an open mind, but the odds of the UFO's making that many appearances in the same area in the same time frame is really far-fetched. The paper plate model and the boy who came forward really clenched the deal for me. It was quite an elaborate hoax, but a hoax nonetheless.

02-14-2007, 10:24 AM	#8
justins5256 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 08, 2002 Posts: 3,866	I tend to think that Ed Walters is a hoaxer/attention seeker. I have the book that has been mentioned above. The chapters go into a lot more detail about Ed's recovered memories of alien abduction and hearing voices (like the voice of God) during sightings. The case is a lot weirder than what was portrayed on UM. Believe me when I say the book is pure, unfiltered bullsh*t.

01-23-2008, 03:21 PM	#9
Todd Mueller Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 11, 2005 Posts: 1,626	Here's another story I just watched again recently... Ed's photos are so fake. You can tell just by looking at them. The model is crap, too. I hate people like him because it discredits legimate UFO sightings. Mind you I'm not saying they are necessarily from other planets, but real "things you can't identify." I think he was trying to capitalize on real UFO sights. What a tool.

01-23-2008, 04:14 PM	#10
ididn'tdoit Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 03, 2006 Posts: 405	Yeah, I agree with all you guys, I can't believe this guy actually sitting there and denying that it was a hoax with all the evidence pointing against him, geesh!!! Btw CD, I just love the scene from your "Memorable Quotes Segment" when Stack says: "A visitor from outer space...? Or a masterful hoax...?" Sure made me laugh

01-23-2008, 04:27 PM	#12
Todd Mueller Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 11, 2005 Posts: 1,626	Funny... after watching this I just happened to do a search on Google and found this article from last week. Sounds like some people weren't happy Ed's photos were fake. ________________________________________________________________ Unsolved mystery: 20 years later, 'Gulf Breeze UFO' phenomenon still fascinates public Rebecca Ross Pensacola NewsJournal rross@pnj.com In 1987, on an ordinary November afternoon, Art Hufford saw something ... extraordinary. The Pensacola native was driving along Bayou Boulevard near Birnam Woods with his wife, Mary, when he spotted a strange object in the sky. "It was grayish metallic in color, and we observed that it had a white dome light and a white light emitting from its base," Hufford, 65, said. "We had no idea what it was and quickly lost sight of it behind the trees." Two decades later, Hufford is still fascinated by the unidentified, flying object and the spate of similar sightings that would become the "Gulf Breeze UFOs'' phenomenon. "It definitely put Gulf Breeze on the map and drew people from all over the world," he said. Today, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., Hufford will present "20 Years Later ... The Gulf Breeze UFO Sightings: The Real Story," during Unlimited Horizons' monthly program at the South Santa Rosa Recreation Center in Gulf Breeze. His multimedia presentation will cover 11 years of local UFO history, beginning with Gulf Breeze businessman Ed Walters' controversial photographs (1987-88), the Skywatch era (1990-92), when dozens of people documented sightings over Gulf Breeze/Pensacola, and conclude with other Gulf Breeze UFO events through 1998. "People are still fascinated by the subject," Alan Abel, president of Unlimited Horizons, said. "We offer UFO-related programs three or four times a year, because of the high interest." Hufford doesn't seem like the stereotypical — by media standards — UFO believer. Family photos, and not "I Heart Aliens" posters, adorn the walls of his gracious Cordova Park home. The well-spoken Rotary Club member graduated from Georgia Tech in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering. He retired from Monsanto Company in 1987, after a 33-year career. He and his wife of 46 years are active members of First Presbyterian Church of Pensacola. "My reputation in the community made me a more credible UFO witness," Hufford said. "But it took us a while to 'come out' when this all began." A phenomenon takes off The Gulf Breeze UFO phenomenon began in November of 1987, when Ed Walters submitted Polaroid photographs of alleged UFOs in the skies over the city to the Gulf Breeze Sentinel. The objects were remarkably similar to what Hufford and his wife had seen. "My wife called me at work and said, 'You aren't going to believe this,'" Hufford said, laughing. "We hadn't really talked any more about our sighting, so it was a shock to see it in the newspaper, a month later." Hufford had tried explaining to himself what they had seen. "I thought maybe it was some type of advanced military aircraft, but I couldn't imagine why they'd fly it over Pensacola in daylight. Ed's photographs and the other eyewitness reports were confirmation for me that I'd seen something from outside of our world," he said. As additional eyewitnesses reported UFO sightings, Hufford began to speak more openly about his strange experience. "As people found out, more and more came forward, even at church, to say, 'Let me tell you what I saw,'" he said. "They felt that if I had seen something, it was OK for them to admit they'd seen something, too." Intelligent life out there Hufford has no difficulty reconciling his belief in extraterrestrial life with his strong Christian faith. "For me, God is the creator of the universe," he said. "I always felt that in the vastness of space, there had to be other, intelligent life out there." The summer after his sighting, Hufford took part in a local taping for the television show, "Unsolved Mysteries," meeting other UFO witnesses and researchers. That year (1988), he joined the Mutual UFO Network Inc. (MUFON). He was a certified field investigator by 1989, and served as president of Pensacola/Gulf Breeze MUFON from 1990 to 2003. He was involved in the re-investigation of the Ed Walters case in 1990, when Walters was accused of perpetrating a photographic hoax after a model made of paper and foam plates was found in the attic of his former home, as reported in a story by the Pensacola News Journal. Navarre residents Rex and Carol Salisberry, former state section directors of the local MUFON branch, were assigned to the initial Walters' investigation. Like many critics, they concluded the Walters photos were a hoax. "We were kicked out of MUFON for our findings. A lot of people just didn't want to hear any critical analysis of that case. Our report was never released or acknowledged by MUFON," Carol Salisberry explained. Hufford's re-investigation report, released in the January 1993 MUFON UFO Journal, came to a different conclusion. "We studied the evidence and concluded that the model was made from blueprints of a home designed by Walters in 1989, two years after his initial photographs," Hufford said. "The fact that dozens of other people had seen the very same object that Ed photographed was lost amidst the hoax accusations. I can tell you there was no 'double exposure' on my car's windshield." Skywatching begins In 1991, he began skywatching with a group that became known as the Gulf Breeze Research Team. The group, led by his friends and fellow MUFON investigators, Bruce and Anne Morrison, documented more than 170 alleged UFO sightings — primarily of roving red lights — in the Gulf Breeze area during a 20-month period. The Morrisons held the popular sky watches at Shoreline Park and the Gulf Breeze end of the Pensacola Bay Bridge in order to "scientifically document" local sightings. "We were out there every night, because this was serious business for us. We wanted to know what was happening, and why," said Anne Morrison, 72, of Pensacola. "We weren't looking for little green men. We were trying to understand a mystery." Salisberry said she would never dispute someone's personal experience, but the Gulf Breeze UFO phenomenon proved for her, that "personal bias can outweigh science." "I went to a couple of the watches, and to me, it looked like flares in the sky," she said. "But what is a UFO? It's an unidentified object. It's very subjective." Hufford said his experience made it easy for him to discern true UFOs from other possibilities such as airplanes, helicopters, meteors, weather balloons or fireworks. "Not every mysterious light in the sky was a UFO," he said. An open mind Morrison dismissed the public perception of UFO watchers as "kooks." "There is a fringe element that makes the rest of us look bad, but at this point, I don't care whether people believe me or not," she said. "You have to have an open mind, and not everyone wants to believe there might be something out there." Hufford thinks that not everyone is ready to embrace such a notion. "I don't try to convince anyone of anything. I just continue to tell my story and let people draw their own conclusions," he said. And if Gulf Breeze truly was visited by curious, unearthly visitors, Hufford finds the idea a comforting one. "I think that these periodic visits could be their way of getting us used to the idea that we're not alone in the universe," he said. "Maybe they're letting us know we're not the only kid in the sandbox."

01-28-2008, 04:23 PM	#15
marlins3 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 22, 2007 Posts: 474	This case is hilarious. The paper plate model is one of the funniest things to ever appear on UM