In this Oct. 9, 2013 file photo, Calvin Parker, Jr., stands in the area where he and fellow Mississippian Charles Hickson were allegedly abducted by aliens on Oct. 11, 1973, on the banks of the Pascagoula River in Pascagoula Miss. The incident made headlines, sparked UFO sightings nationwide and became one of the most widely examined cases on record.
File/AP
"It was shocking for me," said Calvin Parker of Moss Point. "I had no clue it was going to go over this well.
"It's been radio, TV, podcasts and a few newspapers. Probably about 300 interviews. I just did an interview on Fox News Watters' World. They're calling every day, every day."
The story has not gone unnoticed in the film industry, either. Parker said he and his publisher recently signed a contract with a film producer for film rights.
"Supposedly, he wants to do a life story, not just about the abduction," Parker said. "That would be great. We'll just have to see what goes on."
Parker's story began on Oct. 11, 1973 on the Pascagoula River in Pascagoula.
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"We'd gotten off work that day and a friend of mine, he and I went fishing," Parker said. "The old abandoned shipyard; they had a little pier out front and we were on that pier.
"I'm going to guess it was about six o'clock in the evening. It had just started getting dark, but it was kind of a bright moon."
Parker said he noticed blue light reflecting off the water and his initial thought was law enforcement officers had arrived to tell the two fishermen they needed to leave the property. However, when Parker looked up, he realized the light was coming from a craft like nothing he'd ever seen.
"A big light came out of the clouds," Parker said. "It was a blinding light.
"It was hard to tell with the lights so bright, but it looked like it was shaped like a football. I would say, just estimating, (it was) about 80-foot. (It made) very little sound. It was just a hissing noise."
Parker said he and his friend, Charles Hickson, were levitated into the craft by three leathery creatures with hands that resembled crab claws or mittens. Once inside, the creatures performed medical examinations on the two. After, they were taken back to the pier and the craft disappeared.
Parker and Hickson contacted law enforcement officers and both passed polygraph tests. News of the encounter made headlines. Parker spent the remainder of his life trying to distance himself from the event. However, Parker said his health isn't good and decided it was time to tell his story. His book, "Pascagoula — The Closest Encounter: My Story", put him in the spotlight again.
"It's kind of disappointing because it's disrupted my life all over again," Parker said, but not because he's still trying to run away from what happened as he did most of his life. "I went from doing what I want to do and now everything is on a schedule again.
"I do, on average, two radio shows a day. I'm getting fan mail from Switzerland right now. They're sending pictures to me and self-addressed stamped envelopes for me to sign and send back."
His book sales also reflect the amount of worldwide interest in Parker's story.
"The book sales numbers are confidential, but what I can say is that books have been purchased all over the world and the Kindle edition was an Amazon.com best-seller for over two weeks," said Parker's publisher, Philip Mantle of Flying Disk Press. "In the meantime, the book continues to sell better than we had ever expected.
"So far the German and Portuguese rights to Calvin's book have been sold. The German book should be out by the end of 2018 and the Portuguese in 2019. We are in extended negotiations in selling the rights to Russia, Italy, France and Spain."
The city of Pascagoula is also recognizing Parker. Main Street Pascagoula and the city are hosting a book signing on the 45th anniversary of the encounter. The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 618 Delmas Avenue on Oct 11. Parker will sign books, tell his account of what happened and answer questions.
Parker said the book-signing event is important to him.
"It's a big deal for me," Parker said. " (It's) strictly just to let the people of the Gulf Coast know what went on. That's the main thing."
To find out more about the book signing or to reserve a signed copy, visit www.mainstreetpascagoula.com.
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