Maccabee combined a career in naval optical physics with four decades of systematic UFO investigation, applying photometric analysis to landmark cases such as the McMinnville photographs, Kaikoura film, and Gulf Breeze series.1
Born in Rutland, Vermont, on 6 May 1942, he earned a physics bachelor's degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1964 and completed both master's and doctoral work in optical physics at American University by 1970.2
Naval research career
In 1972 he joined the Naval Ordnance Laboratory (later the Naval Surface Warfare Center) where he researched laser-generated acoustics, optical target signatures, and high-energy beam propagation for ballistic-missile defense, retiring in 2008 as a senior research physicist.2
Investigative methodology
He joined NICAP in 1968, MUFON in 1975, and co-founded the Fund for UFO Research in 1979. His investigations fused field interviews, Freedom of Information Act document retrieval, and quantitative image analysis. The approach produced influential studies of the Trent photographs, the 1978 New Zealand film, and the 1987–88 Gulf Breeze images.3
Organizational leadership
As FUFOR chair for thirteen years he directed grant funding toward radar-case digitisation, witness registry maintenance, and annual symposia. He later served on MUFON's national photographic committee and advised private sensor projects.3
Publications and media
Maccabee authored more than one hundred trade articles and several books, including UFO FBI CIA Connection (2014) and Three Minutes in June (2020). Television appearances ranged from NOVA to CNN's Larry King Live, and he frequently debated photographic authenticity at MUFON symposia.4
Death
He died at his home in Lima, Ohio, on 10 May 2024, aged eighty-two.5