Gene enriched my life's journey, setting me upon new paths of exploration and learning.
Like many, I was aware of the cold fusion announcement inthe late 80's, but it passed from my attention until a cover story on cold fusion by Ed Storms in MIT's Technology Review. I lurked on spf for a while and two sane voices emerged: Gene Mallove and Jed Rothwell.
I realized that Gene was at the nexus of a vast web of information about cold fusion and related matters, and I made it my business to be on good terms with him as a 'friend of the family' in many small ways. We became close. I visited his home when he was publishing Infinite Energy himself with a desktop computer, and doing the mailings himself. His passion, sacrifice, and great humanity were evident at that point.
At Gene's request, I wrote articles and reviews for IE, which led me to study new areas of technology, including the Correa's Pulsed Abnormal Glow Discharge, Arata's dual-cathode cell with nano-powder palladium, Mills' BlackLight Power, Joseph Newmann's energy machine, and others. Through Gene I met Chris Tinsley and Jed Rothwell. And, I entered the fray on Vortex and HSG.
I live about six hours' driving time from IE's location at Bow, NH. I made many trips there, many phone conversations, and uncounted email correspondence. At one point, Gene asked me to join him and Jed as directors of Cold Fusion Technology, then the parent company of IE. I resigned that post over a disagreement, but I remained supportive of Gene's quest and courage.
Some years ago I arranged for him to give a talk at Temple University's Center for Frontier Technologies in Philadelphia. While chatting in the departure lounge of the airport on his way home, I asked Gene what he wanted. In one word it was "Vindication".
A favorable report from the DoE panel would be a step in that direction.
Gene did much more than publish a magazine. He worked patiently and tirelessly among investor circles to find patrons to support the magazine and a small testing laboratory. The magazine did not pay for itself. He became a well known speaker at gatherings of wealthy people looking for future opportunities. He was supported for years by a very generous patron, now deceased.
He was the recipient of a constant flow of proposals and claims for energy and related technologies. Rather than presenting the hard edge of peer review, he gave a voice to many 'fringe' authors, always with suitable caveats. He also published papers by credentialed authors such as Dr. Storms the Drs. Graneau. In recent years, he became an advocate for the work of the Correas.
Gene set up a small laboratory to test energy devices, with the expectation that if effects could be duplicated he could have a small demonstration room for the press and scientific visitors. In that direction, he hired Ed Wall, Jeff Kooistra, and Ken Rauen. For several years attempts to duplicate reported effects were made, generally without success. A number of visitors brought devices for observation and testing, again without satisfactory result.
Gene's patrons enabled him to hire some office and editorial staff to help with the magazine. The principal patron died, and the organization basis changed to a charitable foundation to support the publication efforts.
It was Gene who blew the whistle on the intellectual fraud at MIT regarding the early cold fusion experiments, and quit a good job to champion a nascent science at great sacrifice on his own part. He will be vindicated. I will remember him with gratitude for enriching my life. And when the history of this affair is written, he should have a place of honor among the pioneers.
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