A Conversation with Chicago’s Leading UFOlogists

This year we’ve seen a rise in the interest of UFO phenomenon and related activity. Even celebrities Tucker Carlson and John Oliver have given interesting interviews on the subject, and experts (George Knapp/Jeremy Corbell) have addressed the congressional hearings. Please join us for an opportunity to converse, ask questions, and give your own personal accounts of close encounters and experiences you’ve had in your life that may be extraterrestrial in nature. Sam Maranto, MUFON State Director of Illinois, and Dr. Mark Rodeghier, President and Scientific Director of the J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS), our local experts and UFOlogists, will join us again, this time to oversee a panel for Q and A with the audience, so the floor will be yours. Come and discuss your Close Encounters … First, Second, or even the Third Kind. Everyone is welcome!

Please send questions ahead of time to woodside@chipublib.org or msheehan@chipublib.org, or come to Harold Washington Library Center, 4th floor, to see the UFO display, check out UFO-related books, and drop your questions into the box.

About the presenters:

Mark Rodeghier has been President and Scientific Director of the J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies since 1986. He earned a BS in astrophysics from Indiana University in 1975 and then completed master’s and PhD degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago in sociology.

His work in the UFO field began with CUFOS in 1974, and he has done research and investigation in a variety of areas, including vehicle interference cases, physical trace events, abduction cases, especially the psychology and the sociology of abduction experiencers, and led the CUFOS investigation of the Roswell crash.

For 14 years Sam Maranto has been the State Director for Illinois MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) and a certified Field Investigator for over 20 years. Sam has been involved in two major mass sighting investigations (Tinley Park and Rockford) as well as numerous other investigations throughout a period of over 10 years. His research into the UFO phenomenon started in 1964. He is also a UFO witness and had his first sighting in 1959. The latest sighting was in May, 2003 in Orland Park. Sam has been an Independent Insurance Broker for 39 years.

How to Attend – In Person:
Doors to the Auditorium open at 12:30 p.m., and seating is first come, first served (350 capacity). Once the Auditorium fills, our overflow room will allow seating for those who wish to watch the event on a live simulcast. Books will be available for purchase, courtesy of our bookstore partner, and the author will sign books.

How to Attend – Virtual:
This event will also take place live on CPL’s YouTube channel and CPL’s Facebook page. Can’t make it to the live stream? We’ll archive the video on YouTube to watch later.

*Note: due to capacity, this event will no longer be broadcasted via Zoom*

Accessibility

Automatic captioning is available via YouTube’s closed captioning setting. Need sign language interpretation or other accessibility assistance for this event? Please call (312) 747-8184 or email access@chipublib.org to request accommodations. Requests must be made at least 14 business days before the event.