1976: Seckel attends Cornell summer and fall semesters as a “special student” (provisional admission, not a degree candidate). Summer: gets F in physics. Fall: takes Pearce Williams science history class (gets B), calculus (grade of “not attending”), and repeats physics (“no grade reported”). 1977: Seckel applies for Cornell spring semester admission but is rejected. 1978: Seckel attends fall semester as “special student.” Takes only German, gets D. End of Cornell attendance. 1980 June: Seckel marries Laura Mullen (Cornell ’80). 1980 or 1981: Seckel visits Bertrand Russell Archives (McMaster Univ., Ontario). 1980: Suzy Shaw, formerly married to Greg Shaw of Bomp Records, begins relationship with Brett Gurewitz of punk-rock band Bad Religion. She continues to help Greg run Bomp. 1981 June: Seckel elected Vice-Director of American Atheists’ Los Angeles chapter. http//www.miltontimmons.com/AUHistory.html 1981 Nov 9: In letter to Dick James, Madalyn Murray O’Hair accuses Seckel of plagiarism in article about Hypatia (she and Queen Silver had both previously written about Hypatia). 1981 Nov 22: Seckel and other officers of American Atheists L.A. chapter resign following dispute with national leader O’Hair. Atheists United formed soon after as independent group. 1981-1984: Seckel writes flyers for Atheists United, some co-authored with AU director John Edwards. 1982: Seckel gives speech for Atheists United at an Orange County high school. 1982: Seckel quoted by Debbie Cohen as saying he hosted 1982 Jerry Andrus lecture at Caltech (perhaps referring to 1985 SCS lecture?). http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/296832.Debbie_Cohen/blog 1982 or 1983: Atheists United flyer by John Edwards and Seckel with Darwin fish drawing (drawn by Edwards). 1983 Dec 13: Seckel and Milton Timmons give speeches for Atheists United at Cyprus College. 1984 Oct 4: SCS (Southern California Skeptics) incorporated; Seckel files for non-profit status. Operates it from his home:2096 Brigden Rd., Pasadena, but with Redondo Beach POB address. Lectures are at California Institute of Technology. SCS is founded as a local affiliate of CSICOP, whose Paul Kurtz provides under-the-table CSICOP funds for its start-up. 1984 November 9-10: Seckel attends CSICOP conference at Stanford University. Meets with skeptics, asks for assistance in forming a local group in southern California. 1985: SCS begins activities under Seckel. Seckel describes himself as “physicist, historian of science” in SCS newsletter masthead (Laser). Board members include Murray Gell-Mann, Paul MacCready, Al Hibbs, Ron Crowley, Joseph Kirschvink, James Randi, and David Alexander. Molly Squire:Laser (newsletter) editor. 1985 March 5: Stephen J. Gould gives (non-SCS) Caltech-sponsored lecture. Seckel had wanted Gould for an SCS lecture, and later falsely accuses McIver of calling Gould and conspiring to interfere with the “SCS” (i.e. Caltech) lecture. 1985?: In her 2007 book about Bomp, Suzy Shaw writes that “immediately” after breaking up with Gurewitz, she headed to Caltech to go “boyfriend shopping” and “within a week” was “helping to run” SCS. At SCS she became friendly with Crick and Watson, Gell-Mann, and especially Dawkins. 1985 Apr 21: Los Angeles Times article reports that Seckel has Cornell physics degree, lives in Redondo Beach. http://articles.latimes.com/1985-04-21/news/mn-13148_1_skeptical-vie 1985 May: Los Angeles Times article reports that Seckel has Cornell degree and is Caltech doctoral degree candidate. 1985 May: Article about SCS in Engineering & Science (Caltech alum magazine) by Robert Finn, writer for Caltech Media Relations. http://calteches.library.caltech.edu/3459/1/Ghostbusters.pdf 1985 June: Seckel scheduled to present at CSICOP International Convention in London. 1985 July: At California public curriculum hearings Seckel claims he worked with Carl Sagan at Cornell and is grad student at Caltech; this is reported in fall education newsletter. 1985 Nov 1: State of California requests SCS financial information but never gets reply. 1985-1988?: Seckel refuses to pay Jerry Andrus his SCS lecture honorarium, accusing him of stealing an illusion. Ray Hyman investigates and proves Seckel wrong. Seckel also tries to avoid paying Schadewald, Thwaites and Awbrey, and doesn’t pay Klass. 1986 Jan 26: Seckel debates creationist Duane Gish in ACLU-sponsored event. 1986 Aug: James Randi wins MacArthur Fellowship. Seckel had written to him saying he was a judge, and could get him the award; Randi apparently believed him, and asked him to do so. Judges are not disclosed.) Seckel has also claimed to be on MacArthur Foundation’s “Board of Directors.” 1986 Aug 18: At National Press Club (Wash. DC) press conference, Seckel announces filing of “Nobelist” brief in Supreme Court creationism case (amicus brief opposing teaching of creationism signed by 72 Nobel laureate scientists). Attorney Jeffrey Lehman (Cornell ’77, and same high school as Seckel’s) is primary author. 1986: Seckel writes Skeptical Inquirer article (vol. 11, no. 2) on Supreme Court creationism brief. Seckel has claimed co-authorship of brief, and credit for organizing it (Gell-Mann is generally credited as organizer). 1986 Oct: John Edwards listed as SCS Treasurer 1986 Nov: Smithsonian article describes Seckel as a physicist. 1986, 1987: Seckel edits two books of Bertrand Russell essays and excerpts. (Later, Prometheus Books reportedly hears about “problems” with these books.) 1987 Jan 5: McIver sends letter to SCS and CSICOP members about Seckel, criticizing him for self-promotion, publicity seeking, misrepresenting himself, and taking credit for work of those assisting him. 1987 Jan 24: Los Angeles Times article quotes Seckel extensively, describes him as "graduate of Cornell in physics and math, who took leave from Caltech, where he was a candidate for doctoral degrees in both relativistic astrophysics and biochemistry." http://articles.latimes.com/1987-01-24/local/me-9741_1_authentic-burial-cloth 1987 Feb 7: Kendrick Frazier, in letter to McIver, admits there have been many complaints to CSICOP about Seckel. 1987 April: CSICOP holds annual conference at Pasadena, with SCS as local host and Carl Sagan featured speaker. Mark Plummer of CSICOP calls McIver a few days before start, complaining that Seckel had promised to make local arrangements but had done nothing. McIver helps instead. Michael Shermer attends (Shermer, then an ultra-long distance cyclist, had introduced himself to Paul MacCready, who introduced him to SCS). 1987: SCS publication (Science & the Paranormal) describes Seckel as a “physicist,” and SCS as “non-profit.” 1987: Mark Plummer of CSICOP phones McIver detailing further Seckel wrongdoing, says CSICOP has gotten many serious complaints, and that Seckel keeps no real SCS financial records. (John Cole, Plummer’s predecessor, also reported similar problems.) 1987 Oct –1988 Jan: Seckel writes four (total) L.A. Times columns ("Skeptical Eye"); at least two seem plagiarized (with text nearly identical to unattributed articles by Robert Sheaffer and Randi). 1987 Nov 4: Seckel gives SCS lecture at Cal State Fullerton, hosted by CSUF physics professor (and SCS Chairman) Ron Crowley. 1987 Dec 1: SCS non-profit status is revoked by State of California because Seckel never provided any of the required financial information. 1988 Feb 15: Richard Feynman dies. Seckel continues to claim they were extremely close friends during the 1980s at Caltech (e.g. webpage “Al Seckel’s Richard Feynman,” http://home.netspeed.com.au/bnc/al.htm), socializing and going camping together, as well as scientific colleagues, and that he was one of three grad students who Feynman advised. 1988 Feb-May: Seckel writes column for Santa Monica News (Linda Feldman, ed.). All articles describe SCS as tax-exempt non-profit organization. 1988 April 13: Pearce Williams lectures to SCS for second time (first in 1987). Two days later he is featured speaker at SCS banquet. 1988 May 25: Seckel lectures in Santa Monica News building, claiming near doctorate in both physics and molecular biology at Caltech; this is witnessed by McIver. 1988 May-Aug: SCS Laser newsletter prints 1987 financial statement, which Mark Plummer of CSICOP said was false (it included claim of payment to CSICOP’s Prometheus Books which was never made). 1988 June 1: Seckel’s lawyer sends letter to McIver promising to sue for libel if McIver continues to criticize Seckel (referring to McIver’s Jan 5 letter). Letter claims McIver accused Seckel of (among other things) “plagiarism”—though McIver complained of Seckel “taking credit for work of those assisting him” and never mentioned plagiarism. 1988 June 28: Letter from Kent Harker of Bay Area Skeptics to Seckel stating that Sheaffer had not given Seckel permission to publish account Sheaffer had written which Seckel published under his own name in his L.A. Times column, and that it was obvious that though Seckel had merely “edited” it, though claiming authorship. 1988 July: Los Angeles magazine article reports that Seckel is a Cornell graduate in math and physics. 1988 Aug 1-3: Seckel is speaker at Humanist World Conference (hosted by Paul Kurtz), on Bertrand Russell. 1988 Oct 1: McIver letter to Seckel responding to lawsuit threat; McIver states his criticisms are demonstrably true or legitimate opinion, and that he can document them. 1988 Oct 4: Altadena/Pasadena Weekly article quotes Seckel, describes him as “Cornell-educated mathematician, on hiatus from earning his doctorate in physics and microbiology.” 1988: Seckel (in 1991) claimed to Pat Linse he personally got $60,000 out of SCS in 1988. (SCS positions are all volunteer and unpaid.) 1988: Seckel featured by CSICOP in Skeptical Inquirer articles, conference. Seckel article included in book Not Necessarily the New Age (from CSICOP’s Prometheus Books) which describes him as physicist and molecular biologist. 1988: Seckel writes brochure on how to set up skeptics group. Says ads, publicity, and lecture halls can be gotten free, with all work done by volunteers; and that the only expense is flyers and “possibly” honoraria.