This is a post about UFOs.

So in 1973-1974 there were still many people around who were in Centralia on Nov. 11, 1919, the day of the "Centralia Massacre," and I had set out to find them and document their stories on paper. Maybe I'll aim to present it all on Nov. 11, 2019. One gentleman I interviewed was George Barner Sr., who was on the veteran side and in the thick of the action.

So we met at the Applejam Folk Center on Union Ave. He was an ebullient 80-something and was delighted when I mentioned my Centralia connections. Barner had been Mayor of Centralia during the Prohibition era and had just gotten some ink from the Daily Olympian with a historical photo of himself with WCTU members cleaning up the illegal saloons of that town. My great-grandmother was a leading member of the WCTU down there. She lived in the small mansion that is now the Windermere Real Estate HQ. Drinking was not allowed inside, so all the guys went out on the front porch of one of Centralia's high-profile prohibitionists, for all the town to see, and drank away. Barner loved that story. Anyway.

Back to UFOs. With George was a well known local businessman who seemed uncomfortable with Mr. Barner being so open-mouthed about the Centralia Massacre. When the subject of my great-grandfather, a progressive Populist and Democrat in his day who served on the City Council, probably with Barner (yes, in Centralia. Go figure) came up, George got very excited. He clenched both fists, raised them, and said of my relative, "He was a crusader! Ahead of his time!" Indeed he was. In the late 1800s and early 1900s he campaigned for issues like equal wages for equal work for men and women, and for a United Nations type of organization. George poked his buddy, "Remember him?" His pal looked dour and said in a flat tone, "Yes." Since it was no secret this guy was a conservative Republican, I was pleased to see that the mere mention of my ancestor's name still had some punch after several decades.

At this point in my narrative, I must confess my main motive in relating this has to do with procrastination. My yard is really big and the grass is real high right now. It looks like it might rain, so I'm waiting to see if I can use the weather as an excuse to do something else, like oil the hinges in my head .

Even a good Democrat like Sen. Bob Bailey , who is no longer with us, exclaimed "My God! The guy was a Red!" when my great-grandfather's name was mentioned. But since my ancestor was also a successful businessman, I think he was tolerated down there as the token loyal opposition. On my Dad's side, my grandfather, a libertarian Republican, held office as a Road Commissioner. His political career came to an abrupt end when he accidentally blew up a worker with dynamite. OK, focus. Back to the UFO.

Hey, it just rained. Grass is too wet to mow. You guys are stuck with me.

Applejam was one of those few places in Olympia back in the 1970s that offered live music. There was another place, a bit edgier, at that time called the Gnu Deli down toward Yard Birds. Looking back, Applejam seemed like an unlikely place to meet up with two men who were born when Benjamin Harrison was President. In fact, I believe George had been born during Washington's first year of statehood! Well, maybe since Applejam was a place where we heard old-timey music, it makes perfect sense.

Later, of course, the music scene here heated up. Bruce Pavitt lived above Barnes Floral on 4th and got Sub Pop going. Groups like the Supreme Cool Beings with the where-the-Hell-is-he-today Gary May started to surface. Gary, where are you? And Nom Binto was active at Evergroove.

So, back to the UFO. Some of you might know that Washington State is the home of the original "flying saucer" sightings over Mt. Rainier. In June 1947 Idaho pilot Kenneth Arnold reported seeing a formation of unidentified flying objects near the mountain. The press dubbed them "flying saucers." Apparently that description does not accurately describe what Arnold saw-- but the name stuck anyway. The press screwed up again in later years when "Dan Cooper," the hijacker who used that name to get an airplane ticket in Portland, somehow became "D.B. Cooper."

Hey, the rain is really pouring down now. There is no way I'm going to go out with the mower today. You know, I could sit in this small attic room and wander through this aimless narrative all day. But eventually I have to emerge and buy some non-banned cat food for my four furry pals. There were five cats here, but my daughter took one with her when she left home.

But, back to the task at hand. Mr. Arnold's sighting caused a national sensation and today some consider his event the very start of the modern UFO era. There was at least one person in Olympia who confirmed the Arnold sighting. Yes, it was Mr. Barner. Unfortunately, I was unaware of this at the time I met him, otherwise I would've certainly inquired about it as I am interested in such things. In fact, George died within a week or two of our meeting. I didn't learn about his death until much later, being distracted at the time by more unnatural demise of fellow student Vicki Schneider at Evergroove.

Here is the article from the Daily Olympian June 29, 1947, bottom of the fold, page 1:
Olympian Sees Flying Discs
Another flying saucer report was made Saturday. George Barner, state supervisor of savings and loan, who lives at 820 Fifth Avenue West, said he saw the mysterious aerial objects late Thursday afternoon in the direction of Mount Rainier.

Meanwhile, Kenneth Arnold, pilot who reported seeing nine giant discs whirling over Western Washington landed at his Boise, Idaho, ranch and shook his head over the state of the nation.

Arnold was disturbed because neither the FBI nor the Army appeared interested in his story.

"If I was running the country," Arnold said, "and someone reported something unusual, I'd certainly want to know more about it."

If the Army and the FBI weren't interested, almost everyone else in the country was. He was receiving reports from all over the nation of other persons who'd seen the same mysterious objects whizzing through space last week.

He also got a few calls that suggested Arnold had been dreaming.

"But no one can change my mind," Arnold insisted. "I saw what I saw. And I'll match my judgment, position and everything on what I saw with my own eyes."

"Physically, I'm 100 per cent," the tired pilot declared. "I'll submit to any kind of test. I only reported what any pilot would report.I certainly have nothing to gain in a business way with all this hullabaloo."

So there you have it. Olympia's tiny sliver of fame connected with the birth of the term, "Flying Saucer."

Hey Peter , how did I do here?