Efforts by a group of prominent meteorite hunters and collectors to present nearly $6,000 in cash and hold a raffle Saturday at Haviland’s second annual Meteorite Festival to benefit victims of the May 4 Greensburg tornado have fallen apart in recent days.
Former festival chairperson Jackie Robertson, who resigned her post two weeks ago due to the self-acknowledged pressures of having lost her home and trying to continue running a local insurance firm, attributes the failed attempt to a “lack of communication” between the group and its primary contact person, Mark Bostick of the Kansas Meteorite Society.
Bostick, however, has a different take on the matter, stating local, amateur meteorite hunter, Don Stimpson, has had little interest in being a part of anything involving Steve Arnold, the professional meteorite hunter who discovered the three-quarter ton pallasite meteorite near Haviland in October of 2005. Stimpson took over the head spot on the festival committee after Robertson’s resignation last month.
He (Stimpson) was fine with our organization (Kansas Meteorite Society) until Arnold made his find,” Bostick said Monday morning by phone. Arnold, along with Bostick, is one of six volunteers who’ve been organizing the collection of cash and raffle the last seven weeks.
Both Bostick, and Geoffrey Notkin, friend and associate of Arnold for over 10 years, as well as his former press agent for the Brenham Meteorite Company, agree Stimpson has been the primary force opposing the cash presentation and raffle event.
“He’s (Stimpson) jealous of the success Steve’s had in Brenham,” Notkin said Monday morning from his base in Tucson, Arizona.
He (Stimpson) despises us (KMS members and fellow meteorite professionals) because we’re friends with Steve,” said Bostick, who resides in Wichita.
For his part, Stimpson refers to Notkin and others of the meteorite community with less than warm feelings, calling that a “little clique” who will “get back at you through the media if you don’t cow tow to their wishes.”
While Bostick and Notkin both said Stimpson appeared to be the lone opponent to their efforts, Stimpson said the majority of the festival committee shared his sentiments about the inappropriateness of the check presentation.
In an email from Stimpson to Bostick, dated June 22, the current festival head refers to the cash presentation in the form of a “big check”, saying it “seems to be more of a publicity stunt.”
“I wasn’t so much against them presenting the money as doing it with a big check like someone had won the lottery,” Stimpson said by phone Monday afternoon.
In his June 22 email Stimpson implies others beside himself feel likewise, writing Bostick, “most folks think this is self promoting and not appropriate for the Fest, especially with the level of devastation the people of Greensburg have suffered.”
Notkin, however, contends it’s the level of destruction visited upon Greensburg that makes it worthy of the efforts to raise aid for Kiowa County, noting the meteorite community raised nearly $13,000 to aid Hurricane Katrina victims in 2005. Bostick added that over $11,000 was raised by his friends and associates for those affected by the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
Though he’s not sure of where or when, Bostick said he plans on presenting the cash raised shortly to someone in Kiowa County, which will be placed in the Haviland State Bank to aid survivors of the storm.
Notkin said the items donated for the raffle—which he said are around $10,000 in value—will be raffled off at the Denver Gem and Mineral Show this September, with the proceeds later given over to the Haviland bank.
As for the festival itself, Robertson said Monday the event had been “downsized” because of the tornado, while Stimpson said he’d expressed the opinion last week it should be canceled altogether.
“I’m not even sure at this point we’re even going to be able to put together a parade,” Stimpson said. “Things just aren’t coming together very well. This isn’t my strength.”
Stimpson also said controversy such as has arisen over the raffle/check presentation flap, was one more reason Robertson had stepped down.
“She’s (Robertson) fed up with this kind of crap,” Stimpson said. “You know, people like this trying to push their own agenda. We’re all tired of it.”
|
|
|
Efforts by a group of prominent meteorite hunters and collectors to present nearly $6,000 in cash and hold a raffle Saturday at Haviland’s second annual Meteorite Festival to benefit victims of the May 4 Greensburg tornado have fallen apart in recent days.
Former festival chairperson Jackie Robertson, who resigned her post two weeks ago due to the self-acknowledged pressures of having lost her home and trying to continue running a local insurance firm, attributes the failed attempt to a “lack of communication” between the group and its primary contact person, Mark Bostick of the Kansas Meteorite Society.
Bostick, however, has a different take on the matter, stating local, amateur meteorite hunter, Don Stimpson, has had little interest in being a part of anything involving Steve Arnold, the professional meteorite hunter who discovered the three-quarter ton pallasite meteorite near Haviland in October of 2005. Stimpson took over the head spot on the festival committee after Robertson’s resignation last month.
He (Stimpson) was fine with our organization (Kansas Meteorite Society) until Arnold made his find,” Bostick said Monday morning by phone. Arnold, along with Bostick, is one of six volunteers who’ve been organizing the collection of cash and raffle the last seven weeks.
Both Bostick, and Geoffrey Notkin, friend and associate of Arnold for over 10 years, as well as his former press agent for the Brenham Meteorite Company, agree Stimpson has been the primary force opposing the cash presentation and raffle event.
“He’s (Stimpson) jealous of the success Steve’s had in Brenham,” Notkin said Monday morning from his base in Tucson, Arizona.
He (Stimpson) despises us (KMS members and fellow meteorite professionals) because we’re friends with Steve,” said Bostick, who resides in Wichita.
For his part, Stimpson refers to Notkin and others of the meteorite community with less than warm feelings, calling that a “little clique” who will “get back at you through the media if you don’t cow tow to their wishes.”
While Bostick and Notkin both said Stimpson appeared to be the lone opponent to their efforts, Stimpson said the majority of the festival committee shared his sentiments about the inappropriateness of the check presentation.
In an email from Stimpson to Bostick, dated June 22, the current festival head refers to the cash presentation in the form of a “big check”, saying it “seems to be more of a publicity stunt.”
“I wasn’t so much against them presenting the money as doing it with a big check like someone had won the lottery,” Stimpson said by phone Monday afternoon.
In his June 22 email Stimpson implies others beside himself feel likewise, writing Bostick, “most folks think this is self promoting and not appropriate for the Fest, especially with the level of devastation the people of Greensburg have suffered.”
Notkin, however, contends it’s the level of destruction visited upon Greensburg that makes it worthy of the efforts to raise aid for Kiowa County, noting the meteorite community raised nearly $13,000 to aid Hurricane Katrina victims in 2005. Bostick added that over $11,000 was raised by his friends and associates for those affected by the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
Though he’s not sure of where or when, Bostick said he plans on presenting the cash raised shortly to someone in Kiowa County, which will be placed in the Haviland State Bank to aid survivors of the storm.
Notkin said the items donated for the raffle—which he said are around $10,000 in value—will be raffled off at the Denver Gem and Mineral Show this September, with the proceeds later given over to the Haviland bank.
As for the festival itself, Robertson said Monday the event had been “downsized” because of the tornado, while Stimpson said he’d expressed the opinion last week it should be canceled altogether.
“I’m not even sure at this point we’re even going to be able to put together a parade,” Stimpson said. “Things just aren’t coming together very well. This isn’t my strength.”
Stimpson also said controversy such as has arisen over the raffle/check presentation flap, was one more reason Robertson had stepped down.
“She’s (Robertson) fed up with this kind of crap,” Stimpson said. “You know, people like this trying to push their own agenda. We’re all tired of it.”
