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Re: Hi from a "newbie"

At 02:37 PM 6/16/98 EDT, Stuart wrote:

> I'm an amateur
>astronomer and part-time author living in the UK (we had a BIG meteor shower
>here last week, hundreds reported seeing it from London up to where I live,
>which is just south of the Scottish border) with a small but adored meteorite
>collection, but I USE mine by taking them in to schools and letting kids hold
>them at the end of an illustrated lecture about the Solar System. It's a
>helluva buzz showing a class a slide of Meteor Crater and then letting them
>hold a piece of Canyon Diablo or my wonderful, sharp-edged Sikhote Alin
>fragment... the look of amazement in their eyes as they realise that the dark,
>metallic "thing" they're holding "came from space!!!!" is worth all the hard
>work...

   Hi Stuart and WELCOME! 
     About 3 months ago I was at work at a local college and a nursery
school teacher friend came up to me with a youngster and said "David thinks
he found a meteorite!". Well after looking at it I saw it wasn't but told
them that I had a real one. Her eyes bugged out of her head as she said "You
do?!". "Could you bring it in?" - "Well of coarse!" A week later I brought
in my 154gm Canyon Diablo and showed it to about 15 3-4 year olds. I let
them hold it and pass it around, making sure they all got to hold it and
look at it. They are still a little too young to understand the real
significance of what they were holding but were REALLY excited to be holding
a "rock from outer space"! I had a blast and for a while afterwards,
everytime they saw me on campus they say stuff like "Hey there's that guy
with the meteor!". The teachers were more facinated than the kids, it was
easier explaining things to them naturally. What fun I had that day. I
really enjoy showing interested people meteorites. What surprises me is that
some people didn't KNOW that anyone can buy them. 
   
   You'll learn a LOT from the list Stuart, great bunch of folks!

Regards,
Tom Randall