[meteorite-list] "Who is Dr. LaPaz"

From: James Balister <balisterjames_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:51:41 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <283568.36346.qm_at_web180111.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>

Remember this, When the government need advice they called on LaPaz, not Nininger!? What does that tell you?



----- Original Message ----
> From: Sterling K. Webb <sterling_k_webb at sbcglobal.net>
> To: al mitt <almitt at kconline.com>; Shawn Alan <photophlow at yahoo.com>; meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Sent: Sat, February 27, 2010 1:48:14 PM
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] "Who is Dr. LaPaz"
>
> Al, List,

History always decides these rivalries. There will
never be
> a posting on this (or any other) List with
the subject "Who is Harvey
> Nininger"!


Sterling K.
> Webb
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----
> Original Message ----- From: "al mitt" <> ymailto="mailto:almitt at kconline.com"
> href="mailto:almitt at kconline.com">almitt at kconline.com>
To: "Shawn
> Alan" <> href="mailto:photophlow at yahoo.com">photophlow at yahoo.com>; <> ymailto="mailto:meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com"
> href="mailto:meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com">meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent:
> Saturday, February 27, 2010 8:57 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] "Who is Dr.
> LaPaz"


> Hi Shawn and all,
>
> I am sure that some
> people will disagree with my assessment of LaPaz, but he
> organized the
> collection at the UNM in Albuquerque, New Mexico and seem to
> want to
> discredit Dr. Nininger every chance he got. While he did contribute
> some
> to the understanding of meteorites he was no giant in the field and
>
> didn't contribute as much as Nininger was by any means.
>
> A lot
> of his fame is the Norton County Meteorite that he outbid Nininger on.
>
> Nininger was standing on top of the main mass of the Norton County
> Meteorite
> when LaPaz and another museum head came onto the site. My
> understanding that
> Nininger used some of LaPaz's information to
> triangulate the fall but it
> takes more than one set of observations for
> this.
>
> He help organize the Meteortic's Society with Nininger
> but later tried to
> get Dr. Nininger thrown out of the society. I believe
> that Nininger
> resigned. He did spend a great deal of time trying to make
> Nininger look
> bad. The two were obvious rivials but not in a healthy
> sense. Probably
> because Harvey Nininger was making his living finding
> and selling meteorites
> in order to fund his hunts and research. BTW
> Harvey made attempts to get the
> scientists and museums of that time to
> fund his program in order to add to
> their collections but no one thought
> it would work except Farrington.
> Farrington was older and had health
> problems but wished he could help in
> Nininger's pursuit.
>
>
> LaPaz was also a hypocrite who frowned on anyone collecting meteorites
> but
> after his death a sizeable collection was found in his basement, he
> was an
> obvious closet collector. While he didn't help Nininger out, I
> have always
> felt that he might have been one of Nininger's inspirations
> to keep going
> and not letting anyone get in his way. Same with no one
> wanting to give
> Nininger a grant or position at any of the main museums
> or scientific
> institutions of that time. It might have drove Nininger to
> work harder in
> order to get it done.
>
> --AL
> Mitterling
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Shawn
> Alan" <> href="mailto:photophlow at yahoo.com">photophlow at yahoo.com>
> To:
> <> href="mailto:meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com">meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
>
> Sent: Saturday, February 27, 2010 12:26 AM
> Subject: [meteorite-list]
> "Who is Dr. LaPaz"
>
>
> Hello Listers,
>
> Its
> been a crazy day in NYC today with the snow and slush but all has melted
>
> and I received a package in the mail today of a Norton County meteorite,
>
> weighing at 2.33g from Dr LaPaz collection. Within the package, I also
>
> received copies of news paper clippings From the Norton Daily Telegram,
>
> dated May 1, 1948 from the meteorite fall, and Dr LaPaz comes up in
> every
> article. In one of the clippings there is a photograph of him
> standing by
> the meteorite being lifted out of the ground. I haven't read
> anything about
> Dr LaPaz till a week ago and was wondering what
> significance had he had in
> the meteorite community? I also Wiki him and
> from what I saw on Wiki, Dr
> LaPaz was smart guy and got his PhD at a
> young age. Lastly, along with the
> meteorite specimens I also received a
> trinitite fragment weighing at 1.79g
> that he had collected from the
> Trinity project and was wondering if people
> on the list knew much about
> this stuff.
>
> Shawn Alan
>
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Received on Sat 27 Feb 2010 02:51:41 PM PST