Coral
(1925 - 1988) & James Lorenzen (1922 - 1986)
Coral
and James Lorenzen were a couple who have written a page
in history of Ufology. They founded
the APRO
in 1952. Years after,
it becomes so important that Coral quits her job. Frank
B. Salisbury and James
A. Harder are the first scientists to join
the APRO.
Born
in Hillsdale, Wisconsin in 1925, Coral Lightner, while
playing at Ward School in Barron, sees a UFO during a
hot summer of 1934. Intrigued, she tells the whole story
to her father, who's impressed. The day after, they try
to find out what she saw. Did a pilot crashed on Barron?
No. In 1937 though, at Harry Schlomovitz's cabinet (family
doctor), Coral tells him of her sighting. Surprise, he
owns some books of Charles Fort. While reading each one,
she gets convinced what she saw has been seen by many
others. Witty, smart, organized, Coral quickly acquires
a good dose of technical knowledge, including Astronomy.
Coral Lorenzen graduated high school in 1941.
Born
in Grand Meadow, Minnesota, in 1922, James Lorenzen is
a professional guitarist. Coral marries James Lorenzen.
During WW2, she works - among all - for Douglas Aircraft.
The couple lives in Douglas, Arizona.
On
June 10, 1947, Coral has a second sighting, while sitting
in their back porch. Following Kenneth
Arnold's case, Coral notices others have
witnessed the same objects in Bisnee, Arizona. Coral collects
articles and reports. From 1949, they meet George Adamski,
but she's not much convinced. They have a son called Larry.
In
August 1951, they moved to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, where
James obtained a job as engineer at a radio station. Correspondant
for the Green
Bay Press-Gazette, Coral writes articles
about flying saucers. Astonished by the amount of mail
she receives, she is convinced the USAF is hiding the
truth.
In
January 1952, Coral and Jim decide to found their group,
the Aerial
Phenomena Research Organization (APRO).
Fifty people join them. Third sighting on May 21 at Door
County. Hundreds of witnesses. In June, Coral faces surgery
and questions the survival of the APRO.
The association lives on. Their intentions, promoting
the existence of interplanetary flying saucers and the
contact with their occupants, puts the APRO
under surveillance of the Robertson Committee in 1953.
APRO
has an extensive UFO investigative network with representatives
in more than 50 countries, especially in South America.
In
1954, the Lorenzens move to Alamogordo, New Mexico, where
Jim works for Holloman USAF base. Coral is hired too,
by the same base. There, the couple is joined by many
specialists and volounteers.
Quitting
her job in 1956, the Lorenzens are unable to gather scientists
until her first book, The Great
Flying Saucer Hoax (1962). She reads the papers
of Colorado University's biologist Frank
B. Salisbury about plants growth. She sends
him a copy of the book. Salisbury is convinced and engages
himself into Ufology, bringing James
A. Harder onboard the APRO.
In 1957, the garage is converted to APRO
archives.
In
1960, Jim accepts a job at Kitt
Peak's National Observatory as associated
technician.
In
1964, Coral suffers a back injury, while 1966 is a tough
year: both her parents die. Frank
Edwards' Flying
Saucers - Serious Business (1965) attracts
her attention for the many mistakes. After all, the APRO
exclusively holds the reports of most abroad cases included
in Edwards' book. She then decides to contact the publisher
for an updated version of her book, Flying
Saucers - the startling evidence of the invasion from
outer space (1966). In 1967, she publishes
Flying Saucer Occupants.
In
the 1970s, with the aid of a small grant, APRO begins
microfilming its UFO sighting files.
In
1986, the APRO
has 3000 members.
Coral
dies in 1988, along with the legendary APRO.
Source:
http://www.ufopsi.com/articles/coraljimlorenzen.html
