PASCAGOULA, MS (WLOX) - Calvin Parker was only 19 when he and a fishing friend, Charles Hickson, say they were abducted by aliens on the shores of the Pascagoula River.
It was a story that riveted the nation. Hickson has since died. Now, Parker has written a book about the most harrowing experience he has been through in his 64 years.
Calvin Parker is retired now, enjoying time with his wife Waynett. His new book has just been published. He relived what happened about 9 p.m. on October 11th, 1973, on the edge of a fishing pier. “We got abducted, took aboard, we got an examination, and then we got put back out. We got sent to the Sheriff's department, then we went to Keesler and we went to a hospital to get checked.”
He never sought the limelight, it sought him. “I never really had a steady job. I'd move when people found out where I worked and now I've come to terms with it and I bought a house and I can't move," he said.
At this stage in his life, a book about the alien encounter seemed to be the right thing to do. “Everybody's got an expiration date, and mine's getting close. I just wanted to get the truth there before I expired, and the way to do it is documented in a book and let everybody know exactly what happened.”
A very private man, he found encouragement from friends about telling his story. “I was over at one of my friend’s house, and he heard I was going to write a book. He said, 'You know Calvin, I've heard you tell many a lies in the past, but I've never heard you talk about this UFO incident.'”
Parker passed lie detector tests, and underwent hypnosis. His story always remained the same, right down to the smallest detail.
He has a message for non-believers, “I tell them that they're pretty narrow minded to think that we're the only planet in the solar system that has life on it. But if that's the way they want to believe, that's their business.”
The close encounter was something he never wanted, but knows the choice was not his. “It's hard to have regrets over something you can't control, but I do have regrets about it. The one regret I have is that it happened to me. I had rather not have it happened.”
Still, writing the book and telling his story has been therapeutic. “For the first time in my life, I'm really happy about getting all this out.”
Being happy is what's important now for Parker, with a large weight lifted off his shoulders. If you'd like to buy a copy of Parker's book, Pascagoula, "The Closest Encounter," it's available on Amazon and also on Kindle.
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