Chapter 1 - The story begins
But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Ephesians 5:13
(Editors note: Unless specified otherwise, the use of the terms “Derosas” or “Derosa family” are in reference to Pete DeRosa and his family. Tom DeRosa is of no relation to Pete DeRosa)
Our story begins in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with a small creation ministry at Coral Ridge Ministries’ Westminster Academy called Creation Studies Institute (CSI). Since 1988 CSI had been educating Christians and the general public on the science of Creation. It was Tom DeRosa who founded CSI to pursue his science background, for the edification of the body of Christ and to stand against the rising tide of unsound assumptions being used to promote evolutionary thinking.1
Tom DeRosa accepted evolution as a matter of fact at a certain point in his life. He explained that he was raised in Catholicism and accepting evolution was like “exchanging one religion for another.” Ken Wackes, Head Master of Westminster Academy, a private school, presented the gospel to Tom DeRosa one day. Tom DeRosa embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ and hasn’t stopped reading and preaching of the great Creator God he serves since. Tom DeRosa’s wife describes his conversion as saying goodbye to one man in the morning and greeting a whole different man that evening.2
A couple of years after founding CSI, Dr. Gary and Mary Parker helped Tom DeRosa to develop a curriculum/itinerary for making an educational experience for families and individuals on the fossil rich Peace River. CSI’s Fossil Floats were available at a cost of $60.00/adult, $40.00/1st child and $35.00 each additional child in 2001. Tom DeRosa has taken thousands of people on the Peace River Fossil Floats. This was clearly a ministry to the public, and priced so that everyone could afford to experience the truths of Gods Creation and come home with their own fossils.3
Pete DeRosa, no relation to Tom DeRosa, first came to CSI as a volunteer in 1994. Pete DeRosa and his family secured the tools, canoes, food and supplies at the Peace River campground with the CSI credit card. Pete DeRosa also received a monetary compensation for his assisstance with the fossil floats. He and his family were also responsible for helping prepare meals and making sure the proper forms were filled out by participants. CSI trained Pete DeRosa and his boys, Peter and Mark, to sift the sand and identify Ice Age fossils.4
In January 2001, Coral Ridge Ministries held a creation conference in Florida at D. James Kennedy’s church. Tom DeRosa was there with Pete DeRosa and his sons displaying CSI’s Mammoth bones. The Pete DeRosa family ran the CSI’s book table. CSI paid all the DeRosa’s expenses for the trip.4 Also there speaking at the invitation of D. James Kennedy was Joe Taylor.5 ,6 Taylor is a well known creation field paleontologist who has enjoyed a good reputation working with others in the field of paleontology, whether they agree with him on Creation Science or not. Taylor has done business with fossil superstars like Mike Triebold, owner of the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, and Kurt Wise. He has also worked for museums and universities around the United States and the world.7
Tom DeResa was acquainted with Joe Taylor, and Tom DeRosa introduced Joe Taylor to Pete DeRosa and his sons. Before the conference was over, Pete DeRosa pleaded with Taylor to train his sons in dinosaur fossil digging and bone restoration.8
Later, on February 12, 2001, Pete DeRosa faxed Taylor and asked” if the 5 DeRosa’s can come to the Colorado dig in May.”9 Taylor conceded and they made plans to meet again in May for Dr. Carl Baugh’s dig in Colorado.
On February 21, 2001 Pete DeRosa filed with the state of Florida the fictitious name of Creation Expeditions. Creation Expeditions was filed as a commercial company.
Meanwhile far to the west in Dinosaur, Colorado, a Christian by the name of Dana Forbes was moving back to a family property he had yearned for. During 1982-87 Forbes had taught at the same Coral Ridge Westminster Academy in Ft. Lauderdale as Tom DeRosa.
In the summer of 1996, Dana Forbes bought approximately 70 acres of property in Northern Colorado, located 17 miles away from the Dinosaur National Monument. The Forbes were not able to build for several years. Meantime, a local old-timer told the Forbes they had dinosaur bones on their property and could make money having dinosaur digs and selling the bones. This gentleman took the Forbes to the back of the property and picked up a fossilized vertebrae and other various bones fragments. The Forbes were visited one more time by this gentleman about the bones on their land. Unfortunately he died before he could enlighten them further about their land. Dana Forbes felt clueless as to how to both find the bones and proceed with a business enterprise.
Forbes described finding fossils on his property in a letter to his uncle “On December 30, 1999, the eve of a new millennium, I sat on the top of a ridge and earnestly prayed, “Lord, I know there is something out here, but I am ignorant and blind unless you show me, I’ll never find it.” Then I looked down and just below my feet was a rust colored section of rib bone. … Since that time bone has been “popping up” all over our property as well as the adjoining neighbor’s property.”10 Forbes thought about purchasing the adjoining property that was owned by someone who only used it occasionally as a weekend retreat. Before he could pursue a purchase it was sold to the Hunters, who were Christians. Forbes approached Dave Hunter about the bones.
Dave Hunter and Dana Forbes decided to develop a partnership and open a dinosaur dig site in which you could dig bone and possibly allow tourists to take bone out with them as well. In the meantime, the Forbes received help from other folks. Dave Nutting and his team from Alpha Omega in Grand Junction visited the Forbesranch to talk, pray, and support them in any way they could. Nutting suggested Forbes contact Christian field paleontologist Joe Taylor regarding his fossils. The leader of a Christian college group in Grand Junction came out with a junior paleontologist and found the sauropod site. In April of 2001, Dana Forbes had also sent a letter to Ken Wackes at Westminster Academy in response to a Westminster flyer that reported on the school’s trip to the Peace River with Tom DeRosa. Because Dana Forbes had taught at Westminster Academy years earlier and knew many of the faculty members, including Tom DeRosa, he thought he might be able to visit and speak at the school about his find. Forbes didn’t hear from them and thought they weren’t interested.10
Mr. Wackes received and passed the letter on to Tom DeRosa in April of 2001. Tom DeRosa misplaced the letter but was interested in Forbes’ find. Tom DeRosa told Pete DeRosa about the letter from the Forbes and told Pete DeRosa to be on the look out for the Forbes family while he was in Colorado in May with Joe Taylor.
- http://www.creationstudies.org[↩]
- http://www.coralridge.org/imp/impact080610.aspx[↩]
- CSI fossil float video[↩]
- Email from Tom DeRosa dated 5/2/07[↩]
- Picture of Peter and Mark DeRosa with Joe Taylor at the January 2001 Coral Ridge Ministries Creation Conference[↩]
- Video of Joe Taylor speaking at the January 2001 Coral Ridge Ministries Creation Conference[↩]
- http://mtblanco.com/AboutUs.htm[↩]
- Email from Joe Taylor dated 12/10/02[↩]
- Fax from Pete DeRosa to Joe Taylor dated 2/12/01[↩]
- Dana Forbes letter to his uncle[↩]
