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| Ray Crowe is the consummate Bigfoot organizer, from people, to events, to research. Ray Crowe has organized them all. |
I have only had the most recent fortune of meeting Ray Crowe. Thom Powell was kind enough to introduce me to Ray via email. We became instant pen pals and since last October I had gotten used seeing him at least once a month at his Western Bigfoot Society meetings located at Patti's Homeplate Cafe.
I marvel when I think how much successful effort Ray put into getting people together, investigating witnesses, and providing compelling research to anybody curious enough to learn about Bigfoot. A lot of what Ray did is still being done today, but not by any one single person. Despite technology allowing us to do many of these things easier, it takes a special personality to do all of these things well. It takes a Ray Crowe.
From Sasquatchpedia:
Ray Crowe
Charles Raymond Crowe (b. 1937) is a bigfoot researcher/archivist from Hillsboro, Oregon.
Ray's initial interest in the bigfoot mystery occurred after he went with a group of bigfoot hunters from nearby Vancouver, Washington (a rather militant group, according to Ray)[citation needed], who dropped Ray off on an isolated road near the forest. Ray found a set of tracks he could not explain, and he decided then and there to start a group dedicated to sasquatch research. He called it the Western Bigfoot Society and held monthly meetings in the basement of his bookshop.
Crowe also organized and held conferences in Carson, Washington called "Bigfoot Daze" in which he invited established researchers to speak. He also established a newsletter called The Track Record which told of the latest happenings in the bigfoot world, no matter how controversial or untrue. Crowe has a very open-door policy when it came to his meetings and newsletter, but he always warns his readers to "wear your skepticals."
There should also be an update. As of October 2011, with the encouragement of Rhettman A. Mullis, Jr., Ray Crowe has restarted his Western Bigfoot Society monthly meetings. Mr. Mullis is President of Bigfootology and Ray Crowe is a senior member and advisor on the Bigfootology team.Crowe was about to shut down the newsletter and organization in 2006 (by that time the organization had been renamed the International Bigfoot Society), but controversial researcher Tom Biscardi offered to continue the newsletter and the organization with funding, which he did.[The crossed out section is incorrect and should read, "Ray sold the IBS/WBS to David Paulides."] Ray continues to receive reports and media articles from around the world. After closing his bookstore, he continued to hold meetings in various places until he started holding them at Dad's Restaurant in Portland.
Here is how others have characterized Ray Crowe.
[Ray Crowe is] not just a bigfoot hunter, but an editor, event organizer, field investigator, and generalized paranormalist and Fortean. He co-founded The Western Bigfoot Society...He kept an open mind, but always "kept his skepticals on." -- Steven Streufert, BIGFOOTS bLOG
"Crowe spent a lifetime researching Bigfoot, concurrently while establishing the Western Bigfoot Society, publishing one of the first Bigfoot newsletters, The Track Record. The newsletter was filled with valuable information about Bigfoot habitat, sightings, behavior and forensic data." -- Loren Coleman, Cryptomundo
Recently Ray Crowe has been admitted to Hospice. Rhettman Mullins has been updating tghe public through his facebook page. Below our Rhetmans updates:
April 25, 2012 update on Ray Crowe. The news continues to get worse. We have now entered death watch mode. The V.A. Hospital has determined that they are not going to treat Ray further and they are transferring him to a respite/hospice facility. They are expecting Ray to pass on at any time. At this point Ray is in God’s hands. There is still a chance that he may recover, but none of his doctors expects him to recover.
Kate and I talked today and have cried and prayed. She will call me later after they have moved him. Ray and Kate has asked me and my family to come down to Portland, and we are trying to figure out how to make that happen financially and personal time obligation limitations.
Pray for Ray, Kate, and Ray’s family.
April 26th update on Ray Crowe. Ray was actually up and about today. After eating all of this lunch he strolled down the hallway in his wheelchair and then was wiped out so he went back to bed and is sleeping now. He is in a lot of pain and his pain medication is not lasting as long as it is required before the next round of medication can be given. Other than that, Kate reports that he is in good spirit. I did not talk with Ray today because I did not want to disturb his sleep.
I appreciate, as does Kate and Ray, all of the well-wishers, thoughts, and prayers. Please continue to do so.
April 28th update on Ray Crowe. Ray is still doing okay. The vein in his neck is still collapsed and they cannot operate on it. The doctors have reiterated that it is not a good prognosis for him even though he is doing okay at the moment. He has some visitors today, Patti Reinhold, VP of the WBS, and her husband. Please keep your prayers coming and thank you for your continued encouragement and support from myself, Kate, and Ray.
Our thoughts are with Ray Crowe and his family and friends. If you would like to forward messages to Ray Crowe. You can do so at:
Ray Crowe
c/o Bigfootology
P.O. Box 193
Oak Harbor, WA 98277
Below is a n interview Stephen Colbert had with Ray Crowe.
