April 12, 1988🇺🇸Disclosure

APRO Dissolved After Coral Lorenzen's Death — 15,000 Reports Lost

Coral Lorenzen, founder and dominant force behind the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO), dies on April 12, 1988. Her husband James had died in 1986. APRO's archives contain 18 filing cabinets of files, letters, photographs, fragments, and artifacts — including the 1957 Ubatuba Brazil UFO fragment and Steven Michalic's gloves from the 1967 Falcon Lake encounter — estimated at 15,000 unique sighting reports. Two individuals, Tina Choate and Brian Myers, who had created a Phoenix-based group called ICUFOR and previously associated with J. Allen Hynek, convince the APRO board to give them the files for free. Choate and Myers immediately bar anyone from reviewing the archives. Former APRO board member Robert Dean later calls them 'scam artists,' saying their acquisition was 'one of the darkest points of my life.' The irreplaceable APRO archives are permanently closed to researchers.

Date
April 12, 1988
Location
Tucson, Arizona🇺🇸
Type
Disclosure
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Map

Background

EVENT TITLE: APRO Dissolved After Coral Lorenzen's Death — 15,000 Reports Lost
EVENT DATE: 1988-04-12
EVENT TYPE: disclosure

1. Coral Lorenzen, a prominent figure in UFO research and founder of the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO), passed away on April 12, 1988. Following her death, APRO, which housed a significant archive of UFO-related materials, dissolved. This resulted in the loss of approximately 15,000 reports.

The Incident Coral Lorenzen, who, along with her husband James (who died in 1986), established and led APRO, died in April 1988. APRO's archives, consisting of 18 filing cabinets, contained a substantial collection of UFO-related documents. These included files, letters, photographs, fragments, and artifacts, notably the 1957 Ubatuba Brazil UFO material. The organization ceased to exist after Coral Lorenzen's death, leading to the dispersal and loss of its extensive collection of approximately 15,000 reports.

Investigation There is no indication of an official investigation into the dissolution of APRO or the loss of its archives in the provided text. However, the text does mention an investigation into claims made by Jackie Gleason regarding a secret repository of alien remains at Homestead AFB. UFO researcher Larry Bryant filed a FOIA request with Homestead AFB seeking documentation on the repository and Gleason's alleged visit. The base responded that "no such records existed." Bryant also attempted to place an advertisement in the Homestead base newspaper seeking information about alien bodies or Gleason's visit, but the base public affairs officer prevented its publication.

Significance The dissolution of APRO and the loss of its archives represent a significant loss to the field of UFO research. The 15,000 reports, along with other materials, likely contained valuable data and insights into UFO phenomena collected over decades. The APRO archive contained the 1957 Ubatuba Brazil UFO fragments, which are of particular interest to UFO researchers. The loss of these materials hinders future research efforts and potentially obscures a more complete understanding of the UFO phenomenon.

Connections