The passing of Bobbie Short ~ A Sad Day for the Bigfoot Community..

What do you say when someone who is held in such high regard passes away? That is the question I am struggling with today. I could talk about her website, "Bigfoot Encounters", but I am going to talk about my own thoughts and interactions with Bobbie. 

I waited until I had word from people close to her before saying anything. I hoped it was a very sick joke - maybe some hacker (we are all aware of them) broke into her site and did this.... But, sadly word came to me this morning from a close friend - and the passing of Bobbie Short is very true.  

I respected Bobbie on so many levels, that the thought of her not being with us anymore is a tough pill to swallow. 

Bobbie and I disagreed on many things, but all of our disagreements were research related. I never received an email from Bobbie telling me, "Melissa, you're too opinionated," probably because that is the one thing we had very much in common and we even discussed. In fact the word "opinionated" was the topic of many very funny conversations between Bobbie and myself.  

Bobbie had strong opinions herself and was not afraid to express them, 

Whether the recipient liked her opinion or not. 

Bobbie was not trying to be "popular" by always saying the right thing to appease those she did not agree with. She said what she meant, and meant what she said. A quality about her I greatly admired. I admire anyone who holds an opinion, be it popular or not, and is not afraid to express that opinion. But, as a close friend of hers said last night on MNBRT Radio - her opinions came from her own encounters and her own field work not the drama we deal with on a regular basis in this community. 

Back in 2006 I wrote an email asking Bobbie if I could interview her for this blog. 

I held my breath, and clicked the send button, knowing she did not give interviews all that often. I was afraid she would say, "No way." But, to my great surprise she happily agreed in her first reply to me. Being so new to this myself, 

I was ecstatic. 

Not because Bobbie had been around this community for so long, and had done so much, 

But because she was a woman, who had been around this community for so long and had done so much. Sure, I could have gone to the many men in this community - but I am a woman, and I wanted to hear from the women, who had been there, and done that. 

I had an opportunity to have a one on one conversation with Bobbie and share her insights and thoughts with the world. I will always be grateful to Bobbie for that opportunity. 

You can read this article by clicking this link: http://txsasquatch.blogspot.com/2006/08/women-in-bigfoot-research-bobbie-short.html

Once this article was finished and posted, Bobbie then contacted me about another Female Researcher - who she thought was doing good work and who she thought would be a great inspiration for me and other women in this community. 

Bobbie Short will be greatly missed by many in this community and I am sure her family - who I send my deepest condolences to. While she was a force to be reckoned with - she was also a good friend to many and a woman who had a great love for this research. 

I don't like the word goodbye. So I will say, 

Until we meet again, Bobbie.