Jim Lorenzen

Jim Lorenzen (died 1986) was an American ufologist who co-founded the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO) in January 1952 with his wife Coral Lorenzen in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, after her UFO sighting. They relocated to Los Angeles (1954), Alamogordo, New Mexico (1954)—where they worked at Holloman Air Force Base—and Tucson, Arizona (1960). As leaders of APRO, a major civilian UFO group rivaling NICAP, they emphasized scientific investigations, collected sighting reports including humanoid encounters, and maintained ties with military personnel. APRO featured experts like James E. McDonald and James Harder, who testified before Congress in 1968. The Lorenzens authored key books: UFOs: The Whole Story (1969), Encounters with UFO Occupants (1976), and Abducted! (1977). APRO declined after a 1969 schism forming MUFON and disbanded in 1988 following Jim's death and Coral's in 1988.