Tom Slick

Ivan Sanderson.

Or, or Tom Slick.

Tom Slick was a-

[laughs]

... a fascinating character.

Yeah.

I can't think of anybody.

'Cause like, uh, I mean, there's th- there are the really famous people, or the really rich people, I mean, in cryptozoology, like we mentioned before off air, like Tom Slick and, you know, some of these guys.

All right.

So this guy, Peter Byrne, was an Irish American cryptozoologist, and he was financed by Tom Slick, who was a Texas oil guy.

Mm-hmm.

Um, so money, yeah.

Later, later became an issue, but yeah.

Yeah.

Initially, it was, you know, Peter Byrne and Tom Slick's money that got the band together.

Right, right.

But a few years later, a new challenger would enter the arena, and this one had deep pockets and a fascination with all things cryptozoological.

He was the American oil tycoon by the name of Tom Slick Jr.

After inheriting gobs of money from his dad, he dedicated his life to a variety of pursuits that interested him, and this included the hunt for legendary creatures.

He went after Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and even the Orang Pendek of Sumatra.

[laughs] He first set off in March 1957.

This initial expedition was more of a reconnaissance mission and only lasted for a few months.

It was also the only one where Tom Slick himself joined the team, and it almost cost him his life.

He sustained a nasty fall that busted his knee pretty good and left him with chronic pain.