December 16, 2013

RIP Dr. Roy P. Mackal

Through the kind auspices of Honorary Life Member Loren Coleman, I heard the news that Dr. Roy P. Mackal has seemingly passed away. Loren advised me that he had reason to believe that Roy had passed away and I joined him in searching for info on Roy’s death. There was an obituary from a Chicago funeral home for a Roy Mackal and from clues contained therein we deduced that it was very likely THE Roy Mackal of Mokele-mbembe fame. Loren has written a tremendous tribute to our dear friend and colleague and we recommend you read it here.

His loss is tremendous and we will always remember Roy’s immense contribution to Cryptozoology. Rest in peace dear friend.

As a tribute to Roy Mackal, I am posting the following link to a video of Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World where Roy and James Powell seek Mokele-mbembe. It is sad that both these gentlemen have now passed on. The Mackal-Powell segment starts at 2.55.

John Kirk About John Kirk
One of the founders of the BCSCC, John Kirk has enjoyed a varied and exciting career path. Both a print and broadcast journalist, John Kirk has in recent years been at the forefront of much of the BCSCC’s expeditions, investigations and publishing. John has been particularly interested in the phenomenon of unknown aquatic cryptids around the world and is the author of In the Domain of the Lake Monsters (Key Porter Books, 1998). In addition to his interest in freshwater cryptids, John has been keenly interested in investigating the possible existence of sasquatch and other bipedal hominids of the world, and in particular, the Yeren of China. John is also chairman of the Crypto Safari organization, which specializes in sending teams of investigators to remote parts of the world to search for animals as yet unidentified by science. John travelled with a Crypto Safari team to Cameroon and northern Republic of Congo to interview witnesses among the Baka pygmies and Bantu bushmen who have sighted a large unknown animal that bears more than a superficial resemblance to a dinosaur. Since 1996, John Kirk has been editor and publisher of the BCSCC Quarterly which is the flagship publication of the BCSCC. In demand at conferences, seminars, lectures and on television and radio programs, John has spoken all over North America and has appeared in programs on NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, TLC, Discovery, CBC, CTV and the BBC. In his personal life John spends much time studying the histories of Scottish Clans and is himself the president of the Clan Kirk Society. John is also an avid soccer enthusiast and player.

Filed under Cryptid Universe, Cryptozoologists, Cryptozoology, Evidence, Giant Cryptid Reptiles, Lake Monsters, Living Dinosaurs, Loch Ness Monster, Men in Cryptozoology, Mokele-Mbembe, Obituaries, Swamp Monsters, Television, Videos