LINDAMAN, Curtis Ray 1953-unknown

LINDAMAN

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 5/19/2016 at 18:45:09

No New Hints Uncovered In Youth's Disappearance

Cedar Falls--The suggestion that a University of Northern Iowa geography student might be in Cuba is "truly baffling," Dr. Basheer Nijim, head of UNI's Geography Department, said Tuesday.

Curtis Ray Lindaman, 20, son of the William B. Lindamans, 3132 Dallas Dr., has been missing since he left for school early this month.

His car was later found at the Waterloo Municipal Airport where he flew to Miami and rented a 16-foot boat with a 50-horsepower motor at Key West Nov. 2.

When the boat was not returned, the Coast Guard searched the Florida waters for three days, starting Nov. 4, and then gave up the search.

The State Department asked the Swiss Embassy in Havana to attempt to find out if Lindaman has arrived in Cuba. The request was made Nov. 6 but has not been acted upon as yet.

The trip to Cuba from Key West is only a one day voyage.

"He was in one of my classes and simply didn't show up on a certain day," Nijim said. "He is quite a good student."

Lindaman's parents found a note in his car, but the note did not indicate where he was headed other than Florida.

The note told them not to worry that he would be safe and would keep in touch with them.

"It came as a complete surprise," Mrs. Lindaman said. "He left for school that morning. When he didn't return, I called one of his professors who said he didn't attend class that morning."

The boat was rented from Tropical Marina Co. only two days after the Lindamans found their son's car at the airport.

The UNI junior told officials at the boat company that he intended to use the boat for research in oceanography off the coast of Florida.

"He is a very fine gentleman," Dr. Nijim said of the youth. "Very, very pleasant."

The UNI geography department head said he had known the youth for several years.

"I got to know him while he was in high school at a model United Nations assembly," Nijim said. "He was one of several students who came to talk to me about the Middle East."

Members of the UNI Geography Department said that the disappearance of the youth had come as a great surprise.

They said he had said nothing to any of his instructors nor anyone else unless it was to other students.

"As far as we are aware, there was nothing political," Dr. John L. Kirby, associate professor of geography said. "He is a superior student and has quite a bit of common sense."

--Waterloo Daily Courier (Waterloo, Iowa), 17 November 1970, pg 9