
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 15, 1992                   TAG: 9203130021
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-4   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER
DATELINE: FLOYD                                LENGTH: Medium

YOU'VE SEEN A FLYING SAUCER? THIS MAN WANTS TO TALK TO YOU

Imagine, for a moment, that you look up and see an unidentified flying object of some kind passing through the sky.

How do you react?

The whatever-it-is presumably is breaking no laws, so there is little point to reporting it to the police. Aviation officials are interested only to the extent that it might be a hazard for other aircraft. If you go public with a news account of your sighting, you risk reactions ranging from teasing to ridicule.

So who you gonna call?

No, not UFO-busters, although Walter "Frank" Thompson jokingly suggested developing a "Ghostbusters" style logo as a trademark.

Thompson, 41, represents the Mutual UFO Network Inc. in this part of Virginia. The Floyd resident, who works in Dublin, is its new state section director. His coverage area includes Roanoke, Franklin, Montgomery, Floyd, Patrick and all the counties west of those to Lee.

He is interested in hearing about UFO sightings in the region. Information can be mailed to him at P.O. Box 433, Floyd 24091 (telephone 651-4314).

The group, with headquarters in Texas, is an international scientific organization of people seriously interested in studying and researching the UFO phenomenon.

It was founded in 1969 and is partly supported by annual $25 membership dues, which include a subscription to its monthly 24-page MUFON UFO Journal. State directors oversee field investigators professionally trained to look into UFO-related reports.

The investigators keep confidential the names of witnesses who request confidentiality, as well as the case information . They are volunteers who do the work at their own expense.

Since 1970, the group has been sponsoring an annual international UFO symposium at which scientists, engineers, university faculty and authors speak on their areas of expertise. The copyrighted proceedings are published each year.

People can join and receive the journal for a year by sending $25 (or $2.50 for a sample copy) to MUFON, 103 Oldtowne Road, Seguin, Texas 78155-4099.

by CNB