Aliens and Ghosts in the Library Basement
The Ypsilanti Public Library gets invaded, the Q&A gets feisty, and we reveal the cover of Issue #18 (shipping soon!)
If we’ve learned anything from years of attending UFO talks, it’s this: never skip the Q&A. That’s when the audience shows its true colors—and where the weird gets wonderfully personal. This held true for Raymond Szymanski’s September 25th talk at the Ypsilanti, Michigan District Library.
The intrepid UFO researcher and author was in downtown Ypsi (rhymes with ‘tipsy’) to debut a new presentation—ETs, Spirits, & Men in Black: The Spooky Side of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Best known as the place where the Roswell UFO wreckage and alien bodies were allegedly squirreled away, few are aware that it’s also a hotspot for supernatural occurrences of the ghostly variety.
The talk was hosted by the Ypsilanti Paranormal Club, “a small but robust group” according to the evening’s emcee. About 12 of the 40 people in attendance were members. Most of the audience was over 60 years old—but there was a contingent of 10 or so who looked under 40. There were even two middle schoolers in the front row.
Ray’s presentation loosely draws from his book, Fifty Shades of Greys, which chronicles his investigation of Wright-Patt’s paranormal history. Having worked there in various roles from 1973-2011, he had ample time to explore the sprawling facility’s nooks and crannies.
His material reveals backstage details about reports of strange manifestations, disembodied voices, buried alien bodies, and even a conversation with a (likely) Man in Black. Some activity was frequent enough that base officials enlisted The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) to investigate the haunted buildings. Ray picks up this thread, weaving insider information and personal experiences to create a rich tapestry of Wright-Patt’s poltergeist activity. He shares unreleased interviews with protocol officers and other reliable witnesses that underscore just how pervasive the phenomenon was on the base.
We won’t spoil anything here, but if Wright-Patt is as spooky today as it was a decade ago, Ray needs to hurry back to Ohio to start working on a sequel.
Crowd Work
Ray establishes a strong rapport with his audiences. In the few talks we’ve attended, he’s entertained just about every question or comment flung his way. At the end of his formal presentation, he opened the mic for over 45 minutes, and not a single hand was neglected.
Like we mentioned up top, the Q&A is required viewing. We never rush for the exits. Even if you don’t have a question of your own, just settle back in your chair, refill your popcorn, and watch the fun unfold.
Right out of the gate we got a hot one from a middle-aged gentleman who asked why people were so quick to assume that scattered bits of metal in the New Mexico desert were proof of a flying saucer? Ray reminded him that several witnesses who handled the debris were familiar with weather balloons, and they swore the material was unlike anything found on this planet.
That was followed by questions about his Man in Black encounter (Ray shares photographic evidence of a suspicious- looking character in his talk). One middle-school-aged young’n in the front row asked for specifics on the Man in Black’s facial expressions—a perceptive question that reminded us there’s hope for the next generation of UFOnuts!
Next came a shaggy dog involving Werner Von Braun, alien bodies in Maryland, Ross Coulthart, and Uri Geller (“Is there a question here?”). Ray responded by telling the questioner that anything associated with Uri Geller was suspicious, at best (the word “fraud” may have been used).
This, in turn, prompted “Geller Guy” (as he shall now be known) to launch into an adamant defense of Uri’s psychic abilities, citing tests by Hal Puthoff and SRI as evidence.
The mention of Puthoff’s name elicited another skeptical reply from Ray, who insinuated that Hal and crew would say just about anything if their palms were well greased. He directed Geller Guy to James Randi’s book Flim Flam for specific criticisms.
The interaction didn’t sit well with Geller Guy, who managed to get in another comment-turned-question about Robert Temple’s latest book and how it related to his personal theories about the paranormal. After Ray ushered him to the point, what he ultimately wanted to know was: “Have you read that book?” Ray said he hadn’t, and tossed out a few recommendations of his own before moving on to other hands.
Someone else asked why we might choose to bury dead aliens if they crashed on Earth instead of keeping them preserved for study (as Szymanski posits in his book). Ray’s response was charming, if not idealistic: he thinks that we’d perform the ritual out of respect. If the situation were reversed, and some of our astronauts died on another planet, we’d want their bodies treated with the same respect.
Another questioner pressed Ray on why he thought so many people reporting paranormal encounters claim that prayer—or invoking the name of Jesus—causes the entities to vanish. Szymanski linked this to the “UFOs as demons,” theory and supposed it was just as plausible as any other suggestion.
As things were winding down (it was almost 8:30pm, and the end of the Ypsi Paranormal Club room reservation), Geller Guy was determined to get in one last shot. A few hands later, he attempted an end-around via the friend sitting next to him—prompting his pal to ask Ray if he thought UFOs were a threat.
When Ray recognized Geller Guy as the source of the question, he semi-jokingly told him he’d reached his inquiry limit. Geller Guy sensed his window of opportunity was closing, and he seized the moment to confront Ray about calling Uri Geller a “fraud.”
To illustrate his earlier point, a patient Szymanski told the crowd about Uri’s infamous appearance on The Tonight Show, where he was unable to perform his psychic feats for a national audience.
This elicited a loud “That’s bullshit!” from Geller Guy, who was upset that Ray picked on “the one time Uri wasn’t able to perform.”
The minor hubbub cued the evening’s gracious host to jump in and close the event with a big thank you to everyone for showing up on a school night.
Per our long-standing editorial policy, we shamelessly pressed copies of THE OBSERVER into the hands of anyone standing nearby before leaving the library basement (why is it always the basement?).
Overall, Ray’s presentation about things that go bump on the base was a success. We even heard rumblings that it might be added to the broader UFO conference circuit in the near future. Deservedly so. It’s one-of-a-kind material, delivered with Szymanski’s signature blend of humor and humility.
If you get the opportunity to attend, don’t miss it—and remember not to duck out too early!
Another winner! Interesting comments on the demographic make-up of the audience. But looking at most UFO conference attendees, they do skew older. Uri Geller? Really? I thought that circus left town a long time ago and hasn't been back since. I can't believe someone is still... (Stop me, please!) ..."spooning" for Uri.
I love your devotion to reporting on the lifeblood of the high strangeness community which are these small town gatherings in library basements. Wonderful work as ever