[meteorite-list] Lafayette-a possible fall?

From: E.L. Jones <jonee_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:37:36 2004
Message-ID: <3A3F728D.7417A3E_at_epix.net>

Hello Matt, Bob, List--

I know you are asking for references but maybe this recollection can
help you do more searching.

The only written references I have read were by Nininger or quotes from
him. Maybe some of these details might jog some memories.

When he visited Purdue he recognized it as a meteorite. The then
director of Geology at Purdue was somewhat adversarial and wasn't
particularly cordial with Harvey. Nininger may even have allowed him
discovery credit but it was Harvey who pointed out the stone
originally-- either when he was allowed to go through specimens in the
collection or it may have been in a desk drawer produced as an
afterthought. I think the account can be found in "The Published Works
of HH Nininger" or "Find a falling Star". Both of my copies are in
storage.

I know I read that the student left for W.W.II and that "he never
returned" Whether this means he was killed in the war or he never
returned to studies is not clear. However some accounts might indicate
that this was not a student. The finder was characterized as a colored
student. We don't know if the lake was nearby or states away and he
brought it to college with him when he enrolled.

Does anyone else have anything to add over what Bernd has already
mentioned?

Elton
PS: Lafayette is on display at the National Natural History Museum
(Wash, DC) . It is nearly square not withstanding that it has had 1/3
of the original "loaf" removed-- including the .87 grams Steve has
tucked away.... It is a truly gorgeous stone.

Robert Verish wrote:

> Dear Bernd & List
>
> When I retell the Lafayette meteorite story to people
> that have not heard it before, very often I get asked
> the question, "What exactly do the records for the
> collection at the University say about who donated
> this specimen? What does the curator for the
> collection remember about how the specimen was
> acquired?"
>
> Does anybody have a detailed answer to these
> questions, or did these questions prove to be too
> embarrassing to the University and they never got
> documented in detail?
>
> Bob V.
Received on Tue 19 Dec 2000 09:38:34 AM PST