Many thanks to Jeff Horwitz for honoring Strange Magazine founder Mark Chorvinsky (“The Surreal Life,” 9/16).

Bolstered by a friend’s prodding, I phoned Mark from work one day, and that weekend I was proofreading most of what would become Issue No. 8. Soon, Mark offered me the opportunity to write book reviews on UFOs, which culminated in a UFO-book-review column. (He didn’t ask for any writing samples, so he didn’t know I had a penchant for awkward construction.)

While Mark often chided “rationalists,” his research was always scientifically rigorous and tireless. Apparently, he didn’t tell those in the Fortean field that he was ill, and his passing was a shock. He will certainly be missed.

For the record, while I can’t claim responsibility for all the work that Mark and Strange devoted to the alleged Thunderbird Photo, I distinctly recall phoning Mark one day about searching for it. The next day we hit the Metro and ransacked the Library of Congress looking for the damned thing.

Gaithersburg, Md.