Chapter 6 - Doug Phillips enters the scene

For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

Luke 12:2-3

(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.)

The weekend of October 6, 2001, ICR was hosting a Back to Genesis Conference in Tampa, Florida, where John Morris and Doug Phillips were speaking. Tom DeRosa was invited by former CSI board member, Kim Reyher, to attend the conference and to bring CSI’s mammoth bone display. Tom DeRosa accepted and asked Pete DeRosa, as CSI field director, and Pete DeRosa’s two sons to accompany him.

Tom DeRosa told Pete DeRosa to go ahead of him and set up the bone display. Tom DeRosa said he would follow and say a few words at the conference. Doug Phillips, president of Vision Forum, was known to visit CSI’s booth at Florida homeschool conferences, buy books on creation and share his love for creation science. Pete DeRosa made contact with Phillips before Tom DeRosa arrived, informing Phillips about the public dinosaur digs planned for the fall with CSI, and Phillips expressed interest. Later, John Morris introduced Tom DeRosa as the president of CSI, and told the crowd about his work with ICR. After a brief talk about his ministry, Tom DeRosa introduced Pete DeRosa and his sons as part of CSI’s ministry, and was very enthusiastic in his praise of them. Tom DeRosa saw Doug Phillips’ face light up as he watched the DeRosa boys.1 Up to this time, Tom DeRosa had enjoyed a cordial, limited relationship with Phillips.

Doug Phillips would later describe that first meeting, “I was giving a speech in Florida when I met a family with a bunch of guys dressed like Indiana Jones. They stood next to some massive bones. Within minutes, I discovered that home schoolers Pete DeRosa and family, from Creation Expeditions, were committed to Creation paleontology, with hundreds of digs under their belt, more than ten years of experience in the field, and a vision to work together as a family. Thirty minutes later, a deal was cinched and plans were made for a full-blown fossil expedition with fifty people, mega tools, and a quest for an elusive dinosaur called the Allosaur.” 2

Later that evening, Pete DeRosa told Tom DeRosa about his encounter with Doug Phillips and that Phillips was interested in combining the CSI tours with his ministry. Tom DeRosa and Pete DeRosa wrote up the “Dragon’s Den Dig” plan and itinerary on Tom DeRosa’s laptop.3 This was presented to Doug Phillips, and listed two possible tour dates for May. Tom DeRosa presented this to Phillips, who again expressed interest while explaining that he would have to raise the price from $850 to $995 cover Vision Forum’s advertising costs. Doug Phillips accepted Tom’s proposal and told Tom he needed to rush the information to his printer so it would be included in his Fall catalog.((e-mails from Tom DeRosa)), 4 Phillips used Tom DeRosa’s coined name “Dragons Den” Dino Dig, and Tom DeRosa’s itinerary, for Vision Forum’s field trip in May, 2002. It was during that May trip that Phillips made his documentary film Raising the Allosaur.

This is copy the document off Tom’s laptop he presented to Doug Phillips at this ICR conference:

Dragons Den Dig

Session 1: May 6-10, 2002
Session 2: May 13-17, 20O2

Be part of an historical paleontological dinosaur dig in the Northwest, Colorado.
Experience working with a professional excavation team on one of the most productive dinosaur sites in the famous dinosaur triangle near the Dinosaur National Monument.
Discover what the Bible says about dinosaurs and Noah’s Flood by being involved in a hands-on adventure.
Learn how to identify, collect and interpret fossils from trained field experts who use a creation model.

Sample Activity

First Day - Visit the National Dinosaur Monument / Vernal Dinosaur Museum.
Second Day - Fossil Hunting in Cowboy Canyon / Orientation and Instruction on Dig Site
Third Day - *Excavation
Fourth Day - *Excavation
Fifth Day - *Excavation / Campfire

*Days of excavation Lunch and drinks will be provided.

Note: Pricing does not include transportation, lodging or meals unless specified. Minimum age of 10 to do actual excavation.

Field Director

Pete DeRosa and Family
Creation Studies Institute’s Outreach Director is an experienced excavator and professional fossil collector.
He and his family will guide you on this exciting dinosaur adventure. They are committed to the creation message with many years of qualified experience.

$850 per person
Maximum of 30 people per session

Tom delegated this matter to Pete, trusting him to handle this and all future negotiations with Vsion Forum as CSI’s field director. Tom DeRosa did not personally speak with Phillips again until the summer of 2004. There was also a side negotiating that weekend between Doug Phiilips and Pete DeRosa. Pete DeRosa offered to secure float material, broken dinosaur bones from run-off, to sell in the Vision Forum catalog. When Tom DeRosa found out about this, he questioned Pete DeRosa about it. Pete DeRosa told Tom DeRosa he was trying to help Dana Forbes, whose finances were hitting the bottom at this point. Tom DeRosa gave Pete DeRosa the benefit of the doubt.

On the Tuesday following the ICR conference, CSI held a board of directors meeting at Westminster Academy. Pete DeRosa, CSI Director of Outreach, was a guest at this meeting and gave a report on Phase One of the AiG/CSI project, which included the September dig at the Forbes ranch as well as their Phase Two plans for the May, 2002 fossil excavation trips. Minutes of the meeting show that Tom DeRosa presented the future plans for the project and displays showing the progress they had made, they reported on an AiG seminar in West Harrison on August 30-September 2, 2001, that both he and Pete DeRosa attended, and shared about the Back to Genesis ICR conference in Tampa. He also discussed other presentations he had given, future advertisements to be printed and a fundraiser.

Around the same time, Dana Forbes was trying to acquire financing to buy his neighbor’s acreage to have rights to the Brown Dirt Allosaur. By the end of September, the Forbes’ neighbor, Mr. Hunter decided to sell his land and house, and move to Denver. The Forbes contracted with him to purchase the property. Having given up on the idea of running his own private dino tour business for the AIG/CSI project, Dana Forbes didn’t have a job and was not a good prospect to get a bank loan. The fact that the land had dinosaur bones on it also drove up the value of the property.

On October 16, 2001 Joe Taylor sent a fax to Dana Forbes’ bank at Forbes’ request. Attached to this fax was a letter that Taylor composed, assigning a value to the partial allosaur he had excavated at the Forbes the month before. After speaking with fellow commercial fossil excavator and dealer, Mike Triebold, Joe had determined the value of the skeleton, mounted, without the skull or limbs to be $250,000. Taylor explained there was evidence of other allosaurs on the property and that a skull can be worth $25,000. to $75,000. Taylor rated the Forbes ranch as a good site.5

On October 18, 2001, Pete DeRosa wrote a letter to the bank for the Forbes on CSI letterhead that outlined the AIG/CSI plan for the Forbes land and projected the income to be generated.6 The letter read:

Creation Studies Institute
5601 N. Federal Highway
Fort Lauderdale FL 33308
1-800-882-0278

10/18/01
Reference:

To Whom It May Concern:

Subject: Dinosaurs tours Forbes Ranch

The Creation Studies Institute and Answers In Genesis is at this time involved in a major dinosaur dig on the Forbes property. We have set up funding for a five-year dig on the site and in phase one we have committed $150,000 of which the Forbes will receive payments for the use of the property and also receive funds from the sale of the bones. In addition, we have planned at least six tours to the site, which will be open to the public, and we will handle all marketing and expenses for the project. The Forbes will receive payments for each tour we bring to the ranch. The amount will be determined by the size of the group with a minimum of $1000 per tour. At this time, we have mailed to 500,000 families to let them know about these trips. We feel that the site is one of the best in the area for dinosaur bones and have made some great finds already.

Thank you,

Pete DeRosa
Field Director
Creation Studies Institute

This letter helped the Forbes to secure a loan for $125,000 in mid-December, 2002.

On October 17, 2001, Don Ensign emailed Peter DeRosa for Joe Taylor making him a proposition. Taylor offered Peter DeRosa the option of taking paleontology courses at Texas Tech in Lubbock, TX and working part time at the Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum. Ensign explained he would also be sending the proposal to Phillip Hall and Chantell Lines. Don explained that this option would allow them to receive formal academic education and real work experience in preparing molds, casts and actual museum experience. He told him to discuss this with his parents.7

  1. January 2005 Interview with Tom DeRosa[↩]
  2. 2002 Vision Forum Catalog[↩]
  3. Tenative Dragon’s Den Dig itinerary[↩]
  4. January 2005 video interview with Tom DeRosa, part 2 around the 6:15 mark[↩]
  5. Joe Taylor 2001 letter to the Forbes’ Bank[↩]
  6. Pete DeRosa’s 10/18/01 letter to the bank acting as CSI Field Director[↩]
  7. e-mail from Don Ensign to Peter DeRosa 10-17-01[↩]