When I first met Ron in 1989 I did not immediately pull out my camera and start taking pictures …
Two or three years passed before my wife and I moved to Nashville so we could be on hand to offer our assistance to Ron and Mary Nell. BELOW: This picture is, as far as I recall, the very first photo taken of me and Ron in 1991 when Ron was doing a presentation in Florida.
In February of 1992 we now lived in Nashville, and Ron asked us if we would like to come along on a quick trip up to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington D.C. — so we hopped into his van, drove the 12 hours up to D.C., spent a few hours touring the museum, then we all got back in the van and drove the 12 hours home!
Me & Sandra, Ron, and Bruce Patterson (manager of Ron’s 2nd museum)
A “casual” photo of Ron getting some sleep in the back of the van during this 24-hour round trip to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.
The Jurassic Park Movies
Looking over my journal dates, I happened to be living there in Nashville back when the first Jurassic Park movie came out — and on June 10, 1993, Ron and Mary Nell and I went to see Stephen Spielberg’s first Jurassic Park film, and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing those computer-generated dinosaurs! And then on May 25, 1997, Ron and my wife Sandra and I went to see The Lost World, the second Jurassic Park film! Mary Nell chose to stay home and do some work that day, so she didn’t come along this time — it was great to see these movies with Ron!
I myself have never gone overseas with Ron on any of his trips — but I was able to give Ron a ride to the airport in our car once back in 1992!
The Orlando EXPO — March 28, 1993
Shown in photo above: Ron, me, Bill James, Sandra, and Bill Fry
Bill Fry and Bill James had rented a booth to display Ron’s discoveries at the EXPO Center in Orlando, Florida — Ron spoke at this event, and I videotaped it, but the organizers of this event did not arrange for Ron to speak on the main stage, so many of the people attending this event did not even know Ron was there, which I considered to be a real shame. At some time in the very near future ALL the people who live in the Orlando area are going to wish that they HAD been there to see Ron speak about his discoveries “in person” — but since Ron has died, now they never will be able to see him alive and in person. To me, this is an important lesson that people need to “pay attention” when God is trying to share something special with them, because they may not ever get another chance!
A SAD NOTE: Bill Fry died in April, 2005.
As we were packing up Ron’s things at the end of the EXPO Center program and taking them out to Ron’s van, we passed by a health booth that had a full-sized human skeleton on display, and Ron suggested that we pose for a picture! He got behind the skeleton and told us that, “Mary Nell had been asking me to loose some weight recently . . .” So there he was, having really lost some weight! Ron had a good sense of humor — he knew that there were times to be serious, and there were times to have fun and enjoy life.
We all really miss Ron — and look forward to seeing him in heaven!
Above: These are 2 photos are of Ron and Mary Nell’s living room of their old rented duplex in Nashville where they greeted and talked with many visitors over the years — in the top picture I am holding the petrified deck timber from Noah’s Ark, and the lower picture was taken in 1991 when Mary Nell was doing an interview with the local newspaper people while Ron and Richard were in the midst of their 3-week kidnapping ordeal in Turkey. Video of the TV news reports and Ron’s press conference and Ron’s 30-minute interview on CNN are on my Special Video #2.
Below: A 1991 photo of me and Bob Murrell and Ron doing a presentation in Florida. I am holding the deck timber, and we are standing behind Bob’s model of Noah’s Ark.
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