[meteorite-list] A Nininger Moment #22

From: almitt <almitt_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat Oct 16 14:46:12 2004
Message-ID: <41716A9D.21BED008_at_kconline.com>

Changing The Main Stream Thinking
   On a program Of Meteorites

Besides Hunting for meteorites and his growing program of recovery,
Nininger had a passion and a dream that there would sooner or later
be an area of science of meteorites. His first efforts talking to a
number universities, colleges, institutions, and museums that some
sort of a program should be funded for their understanding and
pursuit seem to fall on deaf ears and often Harvey Nininger ran
into many negative avenues when he would suggest that such a
program was very vital to learning about them. Sometimes he
was told that all that was known about them was enough. He
stated that at a time he was growing all consuming in the subject
and felt a need for more study on them, was the time they
seemed to be dead or dying out in America with the except of
two men. They were Dr. George P. Merrill of the U.S. National
Museum in Washington D.C. and Dr. Oliver C. Farrington of the
Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois. Nininger stated that he was
in debt to both men for their help and encouragement, though
not always positive.

In 1928 he outlined his idea of a field program for locating and
preserving meteorites to Dr. Merrill. Suggesting that such a program
would provide meteorites for the great museum. Nininger spoke at
great length to Merrill but was told that if such a program were
funded well, that it would take the rest of Nininger's life to find
a single specimen. Nininger told him that he didn't know how but
he would proceed some way with his program and the next time
he saw him, he would have a new meteorite to sell to him. Merrill
amusing laughed and they shook hands. The next time they met,
Nininger had two specimens to sell him and both were bought!

His multiple visits with Farrington and expressing his ideas seem
radical to Farrington but were listen to with great interest.
Farrington was a great student of meteorites, their structures
and chemical compositions, along with many other aspects of
meteorite finds, falls and numbers. On one of his final visits he
outlined his ideas of a program of meteorite research. Farrington
at that time was old and not in the best of health but expressed
a deep desire he could have join Nininger in his program and
adventure if he were younger. Farrington expressed a desire to
help Nininger realize his dream if at all possible.

Nininger stated at a time in the 20's when the talk of rockets
for exploration was the wildest of fiction, he believed that man
was destined to explore more of the universe. Yet no one seem
to share his interest of a program of meteorites. Nininger found
out at the time that less than 10% of colleges and universities
and very few high schools had even a single meteorite, let alone
a collection. Nininger considered meteorites among the most
important items these institutions could have maybe more than
other items that were on display. Nininger was working outside
of his field of study and because of this was not always respected
or welcomed with his ideas of a program to find meteorites or
study them. He realized he needed to use the lack of interest to
his advantage and found ways of doing so, like finding ways of
buying meteorites from falls that the institutions didn't need or
want after a new find or fall. Nininger realized that for the most
part, realizing his dreams would fall upon his own shoulders and
he would have to find a way to fund his program in order to
prove his ideas were workable and not the fantasy of a young
man.

In order to do this he needed to devote his full attention to the
program, retire his position at the university he taught and find a
way to make meteorites pay for the program of recovery and
study. The Trip down to Mexico had provided many specimens
but were still not enough to fully insure his program. However
the fruits of his program were beginning to produce results and
after a short while provided the needed stock of meteorites for
Nininger to set off fully on his new program though risky.

The Nininger Moments are articles or books written originally by Harvey
Nininger and put into a consolidated form by Al Mitterling. Some of the
items written in the moments might be old out dated material and the
reader is advised to keep this in mind. Source: Find A Falling Star

--AL Mitterling
Received on Sat 16 Oct 2004 02:38:21 PM PDT