Gray Roscoe Barker

Gray Roscoe Barker. . , On May 2, 1925, in Riffle, West Virginia, located in neighboring Braxton County, was born one of the most prolific science fiction and supernatural authors in American history. Gray Barker graduated from Glenville State College, later teaching English at a Maryland high school before moving to Clarksburg to manage a movie theatre. Mr. Barker eventually established his own business booking movies for local cinemas and drive-ins. In 1953, Barker's first UFO article, "The Monster and the Saucer," was published in Fate magazine, and the rest was history. His first article described the sighting of the Flatwoods Monster, an alien with a spade-shaped head and glowing eyes. Later in '53, Barker published the fist installment of his magazine, "The Saucerian," that focused on UFO sightings and extraterrestrial encounters. In 1956, the magazine's name changed to the Saucerian Bulletin and remained vastly popular through the 1960s., Barker's first book, "They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers," was published in 1956. The book dramatized Albert Bender's meeting with three men dressed in black, a meeting that supposedly led to the demise of the International Flying Saucer Bureau. The book was a phenomenal success introducing both Barker and the Men in Black to popular culture. The Men in Black had long been a part of folklore representing evil before Barker presented them as a covert group sent to silence outspoken UFO advocates. "They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers" forged Barker's career as a UFO writer. The Oscar winning Men in Black movies released in 1997, 2002, and 2012 starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones were spawn of the creative genius of Gray Barker., Beginning in 1959, Barker expanded Saucerian Publications, which produced The Saucerian/The Saucerian Bulletin in Clarksburg to include books sales and production. The first book the Saucerian Press produced was Howard Menger's "From Outer Space to You." Saucerian Books also produced and sold works by Morris Jessup, Laura Mundo, and Michael X, all found in the collection. The business also sold overstock books from other publishers serving as a mail order book service for hard-to-find or out-of-print works as noted throughout his personal correspondence, notably the "C" files., In 1962, Barker sold The Saucerian Bulletin to James Moseley, the editor of Saucer News. Soon afterward, Baker filed for bankruptcy. Barker returned to magazine publication when he replaced Moseley as the chief editor of Saucer News for a brief stint between 1968 and 1970. In 1975, Barker set up another UFO magazine, Gray Barker's Newsletter. The newsletter was produced until April 1984. Saucer New was restarted in 1976 by its long-time editor, James Moseley. The publication is still produced as "Saucer Smear.", In 1970, Barker published his second best well-known book, "The Silver Bridge," in which, Barker regaled readers with the Mothman sightings that took place around Point Pleasant, WV before the collapse of the Silver Bridge in 1966. The movie "The Mothman Prophecies" starring Richard Gere was released in 2002 based upon the Barker work. Throughout the 1970's and early 1980's, Barker continued to publish his own works as well as others via the Saucerian Press. In 1983, Barker released "Men in Black: The Secret Terror Among Us," in which he provided readers with additional and updated stories about the men in black., In his article "The Wild Side of Ufology," Jerome Clark describes Barker as someone who "realized early on that the UFO mystery was not likely to be solved by him…[and as such became] a collector of tales, rumors, reports, dreams, and lies…a few describe real events…most, however, are exaggerations, distortions, or unadulterated fantasies." Barker delighted in entertainment fact of that could be found among the world of ufology. Barker was a well-known hoaxer among his day. The interesting thing is that Barker's hoaxes have continued to spark debate decades after being debunked. Barker's most well-known hoaxes are the infamous R.E. Straith and the Lost Creek Saucer Sighting., The Straith Letter was Barker's most notorious hoax. It was carried out by Barker and good friend, James Moseley in 1957. Using State Department letterhead, they wrote to George Adamski as R.E. Straith claiming that and other department members had evidence supporting Adamski's experiences. While, it is believed that Adamski knew the letter was a fake, he quickly publicized it as evidence supporting his claims. The letter sparked debate over Straith's existence spurring a federal investigation in which Barker and Moseley were both heavily questioned. The letter's origins remained a mystery until after Barker's death in 1984., The Lost Creek Saucer sighting was brainstormed by Barker and James Moseley in early 1966. The idea was to produce footage of a flying saucer. On July 26, 1966, they had John Sheets, one of Barker's researchers, hold a ceramic 'boogie' saucer on a fishing pole in front of a car while Moseley drove and Barker filmed. Afterward, Moseley played the film during his UFO lectures, and Barker sold copies of the footage via his mail-order film business. Both men continued to claim that Sheets had innocently recorded the saucer landing. In "Whispers from Space," the footage is shown while Moseley discusses its origins., According to his literary colleague and conspirator, John Sherwood, "The U.S. Government's bibliography of UFO publications reflected Barker's high status among the flying-saucer faithful, as he's among the handful of authors cited more than a dozen times. Here's the dark side: Until Barker's death in 1984 at age 59, he hawked his books and magazines by embellishing stories and encouraging others to fabricate more. He launched hoaxes, joined others' deceptions, and manipulated people's beliefs. And I was one of those who helped.", According to Ralph Coon's biography about Barker, "Whispers from Space" , Barker adored movies and fantasy, dressed as monsters and spacemen to scare kids, held fans at a distance, drank heavily, and sold books chiefly to help his family. further according to Mr. Sherwood, "Barker's sister Blanch quoted him as having justified his UFO interest financially: "There's good money in it," he'd told her. Moseley said Barker actually "did not believe in UFOs as an objective entity" but wanted "to please his audience" and tried "to keep the UFO field active during slack periods.", Surreptitiously, James Moseley and Barker had obtained blank U.S. State Department stationery. AFter "we had a bit to drink" in 1957, they concocted a message to "contactee" George Adamski, whose book Flying Saucers Have Landed had related chats with Christ-like extraterrestrials. Adamski thus received an official-looking letter from "R.E. Straith" aiming to "encourage you work." Much of Barker's book on Adamski focused on the letter as "one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the UFO field.", From 1973-79, Gray Barker resided in Buckhannon, managing the Colonial Theatre that he remodeled and transitioned to the Cinema Theatre. Mr. Barker died on December 6, 1984 in Charleston. As stated on the Clarksburg Harrison Library website, Barker's "creative writing style inspired a generation of readers to dream about UFOs. His works sparked debates among ufologists and enthusiasts who flourished during the heyday of UFOs. As UFOs fade, from the mainstream American psyche, the value of his works as science fiction will linger for future generations.", Dedicated by the City of Buckhannon on the 92nd birthday of Gray Barker . This historical marker was erected in 2017 by City of Buckhannon, West Virginia. It is in Buckhannon in Upshur County West Virginia