Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Father of Ufology

Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Father of Ufology

By Billy Booth

UFOs/Aliens Expert

Early Career:

Dr. J. Allen Hynek, often called the "Father of Ufology," was professor of astronomy at Ohio State University, and later, chairman of the astronomy department at Northwestern University.

Years with Project Blue Book:

In the 1950's and 1960's he was an astronomical consultant to the U. S. Government's "Project Blue Book." Hynek soon found that the Air Force's main course of action was to debunk UFO sightings, irregardless of the evidence.

After interviewing the reporters of sightings, and seeing that many of them were responsible and sane individuals, he began to change his mind. The UFO enigma could not be explained away so easily, he found.

Ufology Career:

After Bluebook closed shop in 1969, Hynek began the process of forming his own UFO research organization, composed of serious, open minded technical experts, and scientists.

In 1972, he published the landmark book, "The UFO Experience." This book would contain Hynek's system of categorizing UFO reports, which included the term, "close encounters," which is a standard for UFO classification to date. Included were a myriad of heretofore unknown UFO case files.

Legacy:

He started the Center for UFO Studies in 1973, and served as scientific director until his death in 1986. His center continues today in his namesake, and is highly regarded by the UFO community. His classification system is still used today as the standard for categorizing UFO reports.