Controversial UFO Figure Dies At 80

A former Cal State Long Beach professor whom many knew as a UFO outsider passed away Sept 8th, 2010.

Alvin Lawson, a one-time English professor, held many controversial views regarding the exact nature and origin of UFO phenomena. Among these was his hypothesis that accounts of alien abduction were, in fact, memories of birth trauma that manifested themselves for various reasons years or decades later. Lawson's hypotheses were born of his decades-long interest in the topic. However, as a multi-degreed English academic, his work lacked the psychological or medical training to back up such assertions. Consequently, his work was not well-received by either the UFO or scientific communities.

In 1996, Lawson was quoted, ""True believers are mad at me. My ideas represent a threat to their belief systems." While his work may have sparked interest among fringe UFO enthusiasts, none seem to have taken up his work and attempted to validate these claims scientifically, which is what is required. After all, as physicist Robert L. Park wrote, "It is not enough to wear the mantle of Galileo: that you be persecuted by an unkind establishment. You must also be right."

If for nothing else, Lawson should be credited for thinking outside the box, for daring to look beyond the conventional beliefs regarding UFOs. It is, I believe, only through toppling the dogma that blocks our path that we can ever see clearly a glimpse of the truth behind these mysteries.