This website contains the digitized personal files of the late Gary Mangiacopra of Milford, Connecticut. Although Gary had a variety of eclectic interests on which he diligently collected information throughout his life, this archive is dedicated to files pertaining to mysterious and unexplained phenomena – an area of interest once more commonly known as Forteana. Here, you will find scans of newspaper clippings, magazine articles, academic papers, and other documents on subjects like cryptozoology, UFOlogy, parapsychology, and the paranormal.
Who Was Gary Mangiacopra?
Born in the winter of 1950, Gary S. Mangiacopra was an active cryptozoological researcher with a special interest in as-yet-uncaught monsters of the aquatic variety, both freshwater and saltwater. A self-described “Fortean groupie” in his teenage years, Gary earned his master’s degree in biology at Southern Connecticut State University in the city of New Haven, writing his thesis on the habitability of the world’s large lakes for large hypothetic aquatic animals like the legendary Loch Ness Monster. In 2007, he and co-author Dwight G. Smith published their book Does Champ Exist: Notes on Historic Lake Monster Conference Held in Shelburne, Vermont, 29 August 1981, Champ being a supposed lake monster said to inhabit Quebec, Vermont, and New York’s Lake Champlain.
Gary had a life-long passion for the preservation of knowledge, which he exercised by collecting newspaper clippings, magazine articles, and excerpts of other publications on a huge variety of subjects, chief among the being cryptozoology and the paranormal. A generous soul, he freely sent scans of his hard-won material to any enterprising researcher who expressed interest in a particular subject on which he had acquired information, usually mailing his files in an iconic manila envelope, remembered fondly by his friends. His correspondents included researchers of renown in the Fortean world, including eminent cryptozoologists Loren Coleman, Chad Arment, and the late Scott Mardis.
For reasons unknown, Gary had a deep aversion to digital technology and seldom used the internet. Those interested in corresponding with him did so through telephone or snail mail. He never digitized his files, and spent the last few years of his life attempting to preserve the information contained in his older and more fragile papers by transcribing them by typewriter.
Gary Mangiacopra died suddenly and unexpectedly on November 14th, 2022, at the age of 71, probably succumbing to a heart attack. With the permission of his sister, Jean, his archive was retrieved by Canadian writer Hammerson Peters, who transferred it to Canada in November 2023. In the spirit of the open-handed generosity which Gary always showed his correspondents, his files are now being digitized and published on this website for any researcher to freely use. When the digitization project is complete, Gary’s archive will be transferred to a more suitable permanent home.
Contact
If you:
- Wish to have a particular “to be scanned” folder digitized
- Own the copyright to a file that you want taken down
- Are connected with a file that you would like taken down
- Have any questions, comments, or concerns
You can make your inquiry, comment, or request by sending an email to curator Hammerson Peters, at Hammerson (at) HammersonPeters.com