John E. Mack, T.E. Lawrence, Stephen Spielberg and Close Encounters?

John Edward Mack
 (October 4, 1929 – September 27, 2004)

The Mystical Underground Podcast:
Ralph Blumenthal: The Believer

Listening to the latest 'Mystical Underground' podcast about Ralph Blumenthal's book about the life of the late John Edward Mack I couldn't help thinking just how much the life story of Thomas Edward Lawrence had not only on John Mack, but also on the influence of Stephen Spielberg's enthusiasm to make blockbuster Hollywood movies.

T. E. Lawrence

Spielberg (2017)

John Edward Mack (October 4, 1929 – September 27, 2004) was an American psychiatrist, writer, and professor and the head of the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

In 1977, Mack won the Pulitzer Prize for his book A Prince of Our Disorder on T.E. Lawrence.

In the early 1990s, Mack commenced a decade-plus psychological study of 200 men and women who reported recurrent alien encounter experiences.

Such encounters had seen some limited attention from academic figures, R. Leo Sprinkle perhaps being the earliest, in the 1960s.

Mack, however, remains probably the most esteemed academic to have studied the subject.

On Monday, September 27, 2004, while in London to lecture at a T. E. Lawrence Society-sponsored conference, Mack was killed by a drunken driver heading west on Totteridge Lane.

He was walking home alone, after a dinner with friends, when he was struck at 11:25 p.m. near the junction of Totteridge Lane and Longland Drive.

He lost consciousness at the scene of the accident and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

The driver, Raymond Czechowski, an IT manager, was arrested at the scene, and later entered a plea of guilty by careless driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Mack's family requested leniency for the suspect Czechowski in a letter to the Wood Green Crown Court.

"Although this was a tragic event for our family," the letter reads, "we feel [the accused's] behavior was neither malicious nor intentional, and we have no ill will toward him since we learned of the circumstances of the collision."

The driver, Ray Czechowski served 6 months and was disqualified from driving for 3 years.

Like the old saying goes, "two Jews, three opinions":-)

Which Religion Should I Choose God?

Produced by Laurie MacDonald?-)

"True" Self Through Hypnosis and Introspection with Laurie McDonald?

UPDATE: March 18th, 2021

10 Fun Facts about Steven Spielberg's DUEL

After his [Richard Matheson] death, several figures offered tributes to his life and work.

Director Steven Spielberg said: Richard Matheson's ironic and iconic imagination created seminal science-fiction stories and gave me my first break when he wrote the short story and screenplay for Duel.

His Twilight Zones were among my favorites, and he recently worked with us on Real Steel. 

For me, he is in the same category as Bradbury and Asimov.

Matheson cited specific inspirations for many of his works.

Duel was derived from an incident in which he and a friend, Jerry Sohl, were dangerously tailgated by a large truck on the same day as the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Where Did Richard Matheson and the Road Go?