Where did CESE come from?

The CESE conducted its first annual meeting on June 28, 1997
at the First Unitarian Church in Albuquerque. The
following is abstracted from the records of that meeting.

History of the Ducks - Mark Boslough

Mark talked about the history of the Ducks. In June, 1996, the Albuquerque Journal printed a letter three times by creationist John R. Doughty, disputing the results of a science survey. On June 12, four opposing letters were published, including three authored by CESE members: David A. Thomas, David E. Thomas and Marshall Berman. David A. Thomas compared creationist "facts" to ducks in a shooting gallery: "easy enough to shoot down, but no matter how many times you do it, they pop right back up again."

On June 15, Valerie Santillanes published an article entitled "Evolution Delays New Standards for NM Schools." Mark Boslough sent an e-mail message to some friends entitled "Time to get DUCKS in a row." Several messages were exchanged on the "DUCKS" subject, and by June 20, a family of seven Ducks had begun to spread their wings and survey the landscape!

The Ducks contacted the State Department of Education (SDE) and a member of the Board of Education. They provided input and public testimony on the NM Science Content Standards.