Category: Obituary

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John Petersen – In Loving Memory

At EMediaPress, we’re dedicated to exploring groundbreaking ideas in energy science, technology, and the broader implications of human advancement. It’s with a heavy heart that we reflect on the recent passing of John L. Petersen, a true pioneer in futurism and a cherished speaker at our Energy Science & Technology Conference (ESTC). John left an indelible mark on our community, and his insights continue to inspire those seeking to understand the linchpin of unprecedented change in our world.

John Petersen was the founder of The Arlington Institute, a non-profit think tank focused on anticipating future disruptions and fostering innovative solutions for global challenges. As a renowned futurist, he was celebrated for his work on “wild cards”—high-impact surprises—and strategic planning for an uncertain tomorrow. His background was as diverse as it was impressive: a graduate electrical engineer, a decorated U.S. Navy veteran from the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars, and a key figure in government roles including the National Security Council. John’s ability to weave together technology, foresight, and human potential made him a natural fit for our ESTC audience.

We were honored to have John speak at our conference, where he delivered a compelling presentation titled “New Energy: The Linchpin to Unprecedented Change and the Emergence of a New Era.” In this talk, John explored how emerging energy technologies could serve as catalysts for societal transformation, urging us to prepare for a future of rapid evolution.

Adding to the richness of our events, in 2023, we were thrilled to feature a live stream from Greg Braden, the bestselling author and thought leader on science, spirituality, and human potential. Greg’s remote appearance complemented the forward-thinking discussions at ESTC, much like John’s contributions, highlighting the intersection of energy innovation and global consciousness.

Tragically, John Petersen passed away on August 20, 2025, at the age of 82 in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. His departure leaves a void in the futurist community, but his legacy endures through his writings, talks, and the institute he built. For those wishing to pay tribute, visit The Arlington Institute’s website, where you’ll find a memorial video that captures his courage and optimism for the future.

John’s Obituary is here: https://www.helsleyjohnsonfh.com/obituary/john-petersen

John’s work reminds us that energy isn’t just about power—it’s about empowering humanity to navigate change. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. Let’s honor his memory by continuing to push the boundaries of what’s possible in energy science and beyond.

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Paul Babcock, You Will be Missed!

Paul Babcock

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of Paul Babcock on June 4, 2024. Paul was not only a brilliant engineer but also a cherished friend and a visionary in the field of alternative energy. His extensive experience in industrial electronics and his pioneering work on overunity and magnetic energy have inspired many. Paul’s notable works include presentations such as “Zero Entropy States” and “Magnetic Energy Secrets.” His insights and innovative ideas were showcased at numerous Energy Science & Technology Conferences, leaving a lasting impact on the community.

Many people have been deeply impacted by Paul’s passing, and there are concerns about the future of his work, particularly his switching circuits for electric motors and other applications. Rest assured, plans are being formulated with various collaborators to ensure Paul’s legacy continues. I am personally working on completing a project that Paul was helping with, which originated with his assistance to carry forward one of John Bedini’s legacies. This project will now be part of both John’s and Paul’s enduring contributions to the field.

We are also moving forward with the home water purification unit that Paul presented at last year’s conference. Additionally, the “modules,” which are more compact versions of his switch and battery swapper for experimenters to run their motors on, will move forward. Both presentations were never released because we wanted to wait until we were ready to launch the products. Paul told you all my company would be manufacturing and selling all of these and I intend to bring that to fruition – everyone has been waiting for almost a year. Paul’s timeline was usually a bit different from mine but better late than never! Hang tight.

Peter Lindemann introduced me to Paul around 20 years ago when I met him at his home garage where Flyback Energy was born. Since then, Paul has become one of my closest and best friends who was like a brother. This is very difficult to share this news with you.

For those of you who push conspiracies as you did with John & Gary Bedini – please stay away and mind your own business. I can assure you that Paul died of natural causes and there was no foul play.

When an obituary and any memorial information for donations to the family are known, they will be added to this announcement. Please understand that we will not respond to any emails regarding questions about Paul’s work or anything else related. We ask for your patience as things unfold.

Paul is finally at rest with what he called “The Great Holy.”

Paul will be deeply missed, but his spirit and contributions will continue to inspire and drive us forward in our pursuit of knowledge and innovation.

If you would like to offer your condolences, post your favorite stories with Paul, how he inspired you, etc., please login and post a reply to this blog post at the bottom – that will serve as a guestbook. It will be compiled and printed for his family. Thank you.

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James DeMeo, PhD Passes

Dr. James DeMeo, 2021 ESTC

Sometime after last year’s conference, James told me he had gotten ill and lost a lot of weight but it sounded like he was getting better. I was shocked to learn today that he had passed.

He was always in good spirits and always took the time to explain things to people to make sure they understood it. He was a courageous fighter who always published his work despite the fact that much of it flies directly in the face of “accepted” science, which is of course the whole point.

He absolutely left a powerful and valuable legacy behind in his presentations and writings and he will always be remembered fondly for his humor, his integrity and his passion for truth.

Please go here for his obituary: https://wilhelmreichmuseum.org/obituary-james-demeo-phd/

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Tom Bearden Passes

Tom Bearden

In 1999, I met John Bedini for the first time and was introduced to the work of Tom Bearden soon after. Tom was always championing the work of John Bedini and was very dedicated to translating this and other related work into terms the he believed would be academically acceptable. At that time, 23 years ago, most of what Tom Bearden was saying was to complex and I really didn’t get it.

A few years later after I purchased a vitamin/health food store, which was my full time business at the time, a friend, Mark Comings, was in town and gifted me a copy of Free Energy From the Vacuum by Tom Bearden, which was basically a bible of Free Energy technologies described by Tom Bearden in his very complex academic language and the references were often many times longer than the actual text to describe something.

After a while, I finally understood what Tom was saying. Although I disagreed with many of his conspiracy theories and other ideas, what he teaches about the dipole and source charge and his pointing out of the reality of open non-equilibrium thermodynamic systems, which come from Ilya Prigogine, were two of the most important contributions to the field of “Free Energy” ever and for the most part, I still feel are conceptually indisputable to this day.

Over the years, we’d have some back and forths by email and he’d send positive words of praise about our books and videos so encouragement was the central focus of our personal communications – thank you Tom and thank you for all of your tireless support of the important work of John Bedini!

Please see Tom Bearden’s full obituary here: Tom Bearden

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John Washenko Passes Over

John Washenko

This is posted after John’s memorial service but is included for completeness. The below is copied directly from Steve Elswick’s email from October 13, 2021:

Distribute Widely!  

Last week, we lost a vital member of our community… John Washenko! John is most familiar to those who have attended the ExtraOrdinary Technology Conferences over the years. During the conferences, John managed our conference bookstore and brought order out of chaos… as a volunteer! This year was particularly stressful as many of our regular volunteer staff was absent due to COVID. John cheerfully took up the slack… because he was that kind of man!  

For the past 20 years, John travelled the country with me as we went from conference to conference representing TeslaTech. He really liked meeting new people. Additionally, he enjoyed attending the presentations and letting me know who were good candidates for our show. Often he would go convince them to put in an abstract or submit an article for the magazine ExtraOrdinary Science & Technology.   

John was a man of faith. Even while manning the table and introducing people to the world of Tesla, he found time to spread the word of his Mormon faith. While there were aspects I disagreed with, we did not let that get in the way of our longstanding friendship. Too often today, it seems that society has lost the art of agreeing to disagree and build a foundation on the ideals we agree on. John had that knack… and he was a true friend that constantly reached out to help others.   

For example, I lost my beloved dog and constant companion, Dozer, the night before I had to leave for the Roswell 70th anniversary. John had to drive most of the way as my eyes were filled with tears. My heart was wrenched with pain and I swore I would never get another dog as it was just too painful. During the drive, John told me that dogs love unconditionally, and I should never deny that love. A month later, God saw fit to place a couple of more dogs in my path… and remembering John, I took them in.   

John has left us too early… and quite unexpectedly. He died in a rollover accident while on a trip to help a friend with some construction work. They were pulling a trailer and the trailer got loose and flipped their vehicle. John died instantly leaving behind his family wife JoAnn, his children, and his companion Rosie. I am sure Rosie is sitting by the door faithfully, patiently waiting for John to get home.  

John Washenko will be laid to rest with military honors on Monday October 18.

The arrangements will be handled by  Larkin Mortuary  The services schedule is as follows:    

Visitation 9-10AM (Larkin Mortuary -Riverton)    
Memorial Service 10:30-12Noon    
Graveside Service 1PM  
There be an obituary posted online at   
Larkin Mortuary ( https://www.larkinmortuary.com ) later this week.  

May John Rest in Peace! Steve Elswick

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Goodbye Dr. McGee!

It was only relatively recently that I learned of the passing of Charles T. McGee, MD who I worked closely with nearly 20 years ago and who was a great inspiration to me.

20 years ago, it was Dr. McGee who had partnered up with my friend and mentor Rodger Q. Estes to start Chee Energy, which was a company that manufactured and distributed pulsed LED blankets and hand-held devices along with other therapeutic devices.

Dr. McGee and Rodger both were friends with Linus Pauling, Ewan Cameron and others in the same field and he was a pioneer in orthomolecular medicine. Below is a copy of the obituary from last August and unfortunately, I only learned of his passing about a month ago. Dr. McGee’s obituary is very humble and is but a small sliver of his great contributions to the field of medicine and to humanity.

Thank you for everything Dr. McGee!

His obituary is below:

Charles T. McGee, MD
Charles T. McGee, MD

Charles (Chuck) T McGee M.D., 84, from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho left us to join his beloved wife, Carol June, in God’s Kingdom on August 10, 2019. Chuck was born, April 28, 1935 in Turlock, California to his parents, Leonard Lacy McGee and Margaret Elizabeth McGee. He was a very inquisitive child who always dreamed of growing up to serve people as a doctor.

He pursued his passion and graduated in the top of his class at University of Washington where he excelled at and chose obstetrics as his focus. He continued to practice this field until late in his life. Chuck met his wife while he was a senior medical student at Wesley Hospital in Chicago. Lovely Carol was a head nurse and the two fell fast in love. They travelled the globe together for years and then decided to start their family. They adopted their two children, Tom and Liz.

Chuck dedicated his life to his medical career and his family. He loved skiing, golfing, piloting model airplanes, gardening, and, he also published four medical research books. His love of modern medicine and alternative treatments made Chuck a unique, well rounded physician. He was loved by everyone he came in contact with. His quick wit and dry sense of humor kept people laughing and on their toes at the same time.

Chuck is survived by daughter, Margaret Elizabeth Bunch, and devoted son-in-law, Brent Bunch of Rathdrum; son, Thomas McGee and daughter- in-law, Jaclyn McGee, of Seattle, Washington; his cousin, Martha Hall of Michigan; brother-in-law, Skip Cooper of Seattle; grandchildren: Blake and Alisha Schuttemeier of Coeur d’Alene, Kody McGee, Brandon Bunch, Brooklyn Bunch, Kyle McGee, all of Rathdrum; great grandchildren, Tia and Logan Schuttemeier. Chuck is also survived by a large number of nieces and nephews and family members from all over the country. He is preceded in death by his parents, Leonard and Margaret McGee, and sister, Barbara Cooper.

If you would like to make a charitable donation on behalf of Chuck, please donate to the Schneidmiller Hospice House, 2290 W Prairie Ave, Coeur d’Alene Idaho 83815.

A funeral service will be held for Chuck on Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 3:00 PM at Yates Funeral Home – Coeur d’Alene Chapel, 744 N. 4th St., Coeur d’ Alene, ID 83814.

A reception will follow at Ponderosa Golf Course, 1291 N Galena Dr, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.

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Dr. Elizabeth A. Rauscher

At our 8th Annual Energy Science & Technology Conference, I learned that Dr. Elizabeth A. Rauscher had recently passed. Although I have known about her for a long time, I have never had the honor of meeting her. Many people that I know working in this field has been inspired by her vast contributions over the years. Please take a moment to learn about work.

Obituary: http://www.tributes.com/show/107309683

Personal Website: http://drelizabethrauscher.com

Below is Dr. Rauscher’s bio:

She has worked in the field of Nuclear and Astrophysics at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California and Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. She has been a consultant at Stanford Research Institute, for NASA on the Space shuttle and a delegate to the United Nations. She is author of more than 275 scientific paper, 6 books, and has 5 U.S. patents. Her main fields of research include: Nuclear & Atomic Physics, Biomedical Engineering & Geophysics Monitoring and Data Analysis

From a very early age as a young girl, Elizabeth knew that her passion and destiny lay with her desire to fundamentally do good in the world, and to provide a meaningful impact on the way in which we – humankind – navigate.

With her early insights into the nature of Energy and Space-time dynamics, Rauscher chose to pursue the language of physics and mathematics to help give voice to these insights.  As such, she was among the first two females to graduate with a PhD. in her field of research, and has subsequently been pioneering her way forward with countless publications, lectures and laboratory experimentation.  She is a keen contributor to the fields of both theoretical and applied physics, and her personal patents and research positions demonstrate this commitment.

Additionally, Rauscher’s work has had profound influences on numerous fields of science, lending vital contribution to Nobel-worthy works.  We are currently in the process of creating a detailed mind-map that will accurately identify the scope of influence and relatedness that her insights and contributions have touched.

Most excitingly, Dr. Rauscher is no where near finished!  Though her career could easily conclude with her distinguished honors and discoveries, Rauscher still has more to contribute before she can finally acquiesce to some form of retirement!