2006 - 06/2006 Meeting

Page Created: 09/25/10. Last Updated: 10/29/10. Last Google Group Page Update: 05/31/08.

LINDA ZIMMERMANN

Books:

Bad Astronomy

Bad Science

Civil War Memories

Dead Center

Home Run

Ghost Investigator # 5

Ghost Investigator # 4

Ghost Investigator # 3

Ghost Investigator # 2

Ghost Investigator # 1

Haunted Hudson Valley

Linda Zimmermann is both an author and an investigator of reports of hauntings.

Her website is: http://ghostinvestigator.com/

MEETING SUMMARY:

Meeting Date: June 10, 2006.

Meeting Site: Borders Books & Music, Ramsey.

Official Attendance: 29.

Meeting Program: Talk by Ghost Investigator.

Notes:

Ms Zimmermann also addressed the April 2004, March 2001, and July 1995 meetings of the Association.

Meeting Memories:

Newsletter Account:

The following account is reprinted with permission from THE STARSHIP EXPRESS Copyright 2006 Philip J De Parto:

The Science Fiction Association met on Saturday, June 10, 2006 at Borders Books & Music in Ramsey, New Jersey. The temporary resignation of Philip De Parto as the Director of the Association resulted in a number of proposed format changes to the gathering. In the end, it operated pretty much like a normal summer time club function, although there were no dues and no refreshments (except water).

The Final Frontier met at 7:00 PM to discuss "Cool Stuff," which was loosely defined as anything you had read/watched/heard recently that was enjoyable and worth sharing with the group.

DOCTOR WHO was mentioned repeatedly by those attending as being a favorite (which is why we will spotlight the series at the July Final Frontier). Another popular choice was the third X-MEN movie.

THE DI VINCI CODE received generally favorable mention, although a couple of people felt that reading the book was essential to following the movie. This led to a digression about other movies with this problem. Someone mentioned that some theaters passed out "cheat sheets" when DUNE was screened. Someone else made mention of something called THE ASTI SPUNANTI CODE, which I assume was a spoof of some sort. Chuck Garofalo reported that past guest speaker Robert Price has written a debunk of the book titled THE DI VINCI FRAUD.

Books and stories mentioned were novels by Judith Berman, Alastair Reynolds, Ty Drago, and Jack Ketchum, and Judith Berman's "The Fear Gun." There were also several non-genre television shows and films mentioned including DEADWOOD, A TALE OF TWO SISTERS, and SHERRI.

The evening's guest speaker was author and Ghost Investigator Linda Zimmermann. Ms Zimmermann has written and self published books in a number of genres including history (CIVIL WAR MEMORIES), science fiction (HOME RUN), science (BAD ASTRONOMY), and suspense (DEAD CENTER).

Our guest became a Ghost Investigator purely by accident. She had become known to some local libraries through her research and writings about area veterans of the Civil War. One library contacted her and inquired if she knew any local lore about spooky doings. She had come across one such legend during her research and agreed to talk about it and other interesting bits of local lore at a library talk. It went well and over the following weeks the other area libraries were requesting talks by the Ghost Lady.

She rapidly immersed herself in the local legends and even visited a few such sites to better acquaint herself with the subject. However, she considered herself a lore researcher, not a Ghost Investigator.

The turning point in her work came during a trip to Gettysburg. Her husband, Robert, suggested that as long as they were going to the battlefield to give a talk, that she might as well kill two birds with one stone by staying at a "haunted" bed and breakfast. The overnight was uneventful, but the following day they saw an apparition they could not explain on the battlefield and a Ghost Investigator was born. Since that time she has spent many quiet evenings in cemeteries, asylums, death row prisons, and murder and suicide sites.

Linda said that she is often asked how one becomes a Ghost Investigator. Her response was that there are no classes one takes or degrees one receives. You just go out and do it. Personally, I feel that she missed a great set up. She should have recommended attending Columbia University and enrolling in classes by Doctors Venkman, Stantz, or Spengler.

Ms Zimmermann herself is a former research chemist. She has incorporated tools from a variety of trades to aid in her inquiries. Various sorts of optical and audio gear are at the top of the list. Electro-Magnetic Frequency Readers, which are employed by electricians, are another tool.

Returning to Gettysburg for a moment, apparently the area has quite a reputation for hauntings and ghost chasers. Linda reported that it's not uncommon to go out to the battlefield at night during certain times of the year and find bands of rednecks guzzling six packs and taking photos of something or other and yelling, "I've got one on film!" Needless to say, this is not her approach to an Investigation.

The last time our guest spoke at the group, she concentrated on her trips to some notorious hauntings like a stay at the Lizzie Bordon house. This time she added some stories about her explorations of New Jersey.

One of these stories was the result of her appearance at the Association a couple of years ago. Club member Don Smith was working on a book about the history of the town of Hawthorne, New Jersey and had come across a tale about a local haunting. Judge Van Winkle and his wife were murdered in their bed by a man he had sentenced, and Mrs Van Winkle is said to haunt their bedroom today.

Our guest also visited the house WEIRD NJ listed as the most haunted house in the state. This one is in Summit, New Jersey. A middle aged couple with grown up children has lived in the dwelling for many years. While there have been some isolated incidents over the years, there have been very frightening ones more recently. The wife reported a cold presence had come into the bedroom and shared the bed with her one night while her husband was away. The following evening, she slept in a spare bedroom that formerly belonged to one of their children. The presence entered the room, said "Found you," and then climbed into bed.

Perhaps the scariest story she had concerned a house next to an airport in Orange County, New York. When the airport expanded, the homeowners had their house moved atop the site of a factory from the Revolutionary War. Night after night, the husband would hear footsteps coming up from the basement, pass through the kitchen, and then proceed up the stairs to the attic. Finally the man challenged the ghost to give him his best shot. The footsteps stopped for a couple of days. The man thought he had won until he found himself pushed across the attic and impaled on a batch of nails sticking out from the wall. He apologized and did not challenge the presence again.