Project Wim: : Other Voices

By John Rojewski

Who remembers the inventor, and forgets the invention?

And even in that rare case, what do they remember?

Explore the memories of the people that knew Marcus Jameson, the inventor of the Matter-Energy-Converter, and hear what they knew that perhaps, he did not.

In exploring his childhood, collegiate education, and early years, an effort has been made to locate associates that knew the real story behind this amazing man. What follows are the results of these one-on-one interviews and many-to-many discussions.
Learn more about the man that could turn trash into gold and gave it all up … for love.

Project WIM: Other Voices is the fourth in the series of books that chronicles the adventures of Marcus Jameson, the inventor of Matter-Energy-Conversion and later, and even more spectacular, Matter-To-Matter-Conversion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781669865018

John Rojewski

John Rojewski was born in Nebraska and moved to Arizona after his graduation from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Following his occupational training, he pursued a career in Information Technology. Beyond his career aspirations, John has associations/certifications and experience as a private pilot, scuba diver, USA Swimming official, information security professional, an Eagle Scout, and is now a published author. John is married, with a daughter and grandchildren and enjoys science fiction, singing, playing bass guitar, and traveling regionally and abroad.

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Copyright © 2023 by John Rojewski.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 01/31/2023

Xlibris

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CONTENTS

Prologue

Overview

The Format

The Interviews

Current Events

Ownership

The Government

Other Questions

Childhood

Parents (Edward and Suzanne Jameson)

Sister (Kristine Jameson-Johnson)

Friends (Jerry Jallens)

Teacher (Allison Reynolds, Retired)

Adolescence

Teacher (Aaron Sanders – Math and Sciences, Retired)

Friends (Zachary Levinson)

Formal Education

College friend (Elizabeth Ann Davenport)

Professor (Robert Harrington PhD, Professor of Physics)

Career

J.P. Morgan – Executive at Hamilton Technologies, Retired

Holt County - before and later, Hank and Ellen Thomas

Liberty Power - Jillian Connors and Steve Linford, Co-owners Liberty Power, Executive Board

Recognition

Colin Simington – Legal Counsel, Simington and Associates

Susan Springer – Virginia Ecological Society Spokesperson

Ed Rogers and Spouse – Ecology Supporter

Jim Thomas – Smart Trash

Connie Albersen, PhD – Higher Education

Doctors Ellison and Lazenby – Psychological

Extended Family – Leslie Lee-Simmons

Regional – Roadside Place

Enemies

Media Voices - Holmes and Watson

P. A. Calhoun - General, United States Army

James Hillan, (US Military – Retired) - and - Julie Ray Chattsworth-Hillan - Warrenton Police Department

Charles Woodson - Under-Secretary of Commerce, Retired

Dr. Lawrence Hoffman - Professor, MIT, Consultant for DOD

Congressional Inquiry Participants

Other Contacts

Jennifer Alston – VistaView Apartments

Thomas Langford – Fine Metals Distributors

Ted and Rhonda Allen – Environmental Protection Agency

Additional Documentation

Song Lyrics

Shakespeare and Logic

Epilogue

Appendix

A. Character Review

B. Fundamental Principles

C. Interviews and Locations

D. Rubric for Interviews

E. Glossary

Endnotes

Prologue

Experience helps us to understand the events around us and is one of the many things that we gain as we travel through life.

From time to time there are certain events, certain critical connections and certain people that are able to read the situations and utilize their experience to fundamentally shape and re-direct the paths of others to make significant changes in the fabric of our society and beyond.

The experiences of an inventor, somewhat well-known have been made public in news events and other significant changes in economic factors. While inventors have throughout history been the ones that spur on change and adaptation, there are many questions that are never answered due to a combination of impediments.

If one has experienced the presence of true inventor, and one is then willing to provide insightful thought and discussion as to the ways that signified the traits of that inventor, it is possible that we might be able to encourage those traits, and in doing so, enhance the formation of the ‘inventor’ within ourselves.

Possible, but improbable, one might say, but perhaps we will revisit this at the conclusion of the material from our Other Voices.

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Overview

A lot has happened.

A lot has changed.

Marcus Osman Jameson was a man that had a secret. He developed technology that was to become pivotal in the world in many areas of research and development, but primarily in energy production.

He had joys, fears, and passions, and, as has been documented, rage that produced weaponry unknown and unattainable before his theories and practices produced the method for his demise.

Truly a man of simple means, he became a folk figure and even a hero to some after he made a choice to take revenge for the death of his love.

Since the disappearance of Marcus Jameson from this Earth there have been many challenges to his status and questions about how it has already and will continue to affect us all going forward.

It is difficult to know and understand the needs of our society in dealing with the loss of this incredibly gifted individual.

So many questions have been asked but there are few answers of any real substance. While there is an abundance of speculation, any amount of real factual and verifiable evidence seems to be difficult to locate and acknowledge.

Of those who knew Marc Osman Jameson, he represented an enigma at the same time as he lived and worked with and alongside many individuals across many areas of specialty.

Since the recent historic episode in Syria there have been many questions asked about the thoughts and actions of this man and what brought him to the conclusion that resulted in the strange reports of the native inhabitants and of the international community.

The following is a summary list of some of those questions with no particular order or significance. In looking through this list it is important to see some of the rather gaping holes in the current knowledge that has been gathered.

One primary purpose of this documentation is to expose some of the mystery that was unknown by Marcus Jameson. Indeed, as a singular human being, he was not omniscient, nor did he know all the thoughts and activities of those people in this world that desired to know and gather the secrets of his developments and discoveries to utilize for their own purposes.

It is currently understood that the reason for the abduction of Ms. Virginia Lee was to gain the co-operation of Mr. Jameson to provide his knowledge to the Syrian dictator with the expectation of an increase in the warlord’s military power and prestige. This information was not available to the public for the many months after the abduction when several stories were played out in the media and through various channels of the federal government intelligence agencies.

One recent quote from a prominent philosopher indicated: He was so brilliant, but what did he not know?

Additional question included:

– How was this information obtained, and from whom?

– Who knew why these things were happening?

– Why did Jameson not know of these things?

– Jameson invested in mining properties in western states. Why? Where were these mines located?

– Just how rich was Jameson?

– Was the secret method to start the MEC process exposed, or is it still a secret, lost when Jameson died?

Questions involving the US government are also being asked:

– Was there involvement of the government early on, particularly with military interaction?

– Was there a higher-level direction that was being followed?

– Why did the US allow and even provide training and transportation for Jameson to Syria?

Will we ever know the answers to some of these questions? Perhaps and perhaps not. There is a plethora of speculations, but speculation is not proof, and insinuation of conspiracy is not evidence.

In looking at the accomplishments of this man, there has been an extended effort to learn more. In particular, it was deemed to be important to locate and ask many of the people who shared in the activities of his life and to ask them to share in their insight into elements of his character and the challenges he faced.

The Format

In an attempt to put some consistency into this document, we will spell out some of the details to help in keeping the context clear and the various expectations aligned between the multiple individuals and organizations that are providing this information.

Before the interviews, there is a section designed to bring everyone up to the current level of knowledge about the disappearance and later death of Mr. Jameson and to help provide an understanding of the perceived current situation with regard to his developments prior to his departure.

Following these sections there will be an additional section of collected documents revealing some of the lesser-known thoughts and ideas of this man. These have been received from friends and organizations as well as some of his recently discovered personal artifacts.

The Interviews

In an effort to provide the most accurate information, it was decided to break the descriptions and interviews into phases of his life-cycle development.

In the cases of a single individual or a couple, the person performing the question-and-answer sessions is referred to as the Interviewer. In situations where multiple people are sharing the in the information gathering session, the person may be referred to as the Moderator.

A general set of questions has been considered as the base, and the answers or response to these questions will then provide the interviewer/moderator an opportunity to inject additional questions and thoughts to probe the individuals’ knowledge and ability to reveal additional details and emotional support.

Note that we have documented some of those questions and provided a rubric for analysis in an appendix to this report.

These are the thoughts and words of those who knew this man and had insight into his thoughts that may help us to understand him and for the historians to document his life more clearly.

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Current Events

Ownership

At the present time, the ownership of all things belonging to Marcus Jameson have been moved into an LLC managed by his sister Kristine Jameson-Johnson.

While it has not been determined that Mr. Jameson was intending to leave the US and not return, he did have the foresight to prepare for that possibility in the notification of his sister to become the owner of his vast business ventures and related opportunities. It has also been noted that while the intellectual property of Mr. Jameson is his, to delegate, the wording of the documents produced strongly indicate that in his absence, his sister Kristine, is to be the primary delegate to make decisions regarding that property.

Note that this includes all decisions regarding the construction and usage of devices that implement the Matter Energy Conversion (MEC) processes as well as those including the Matter-to-Matter (MTM) processes which have been recently touted as ‘monumental’ in the advancement of science and technology.

There are several contacts of Mr. Jameson that are now working with Kristine to expand and enhance those potential advancements while at the same time keeping the essential secrets and details confined to a very select few. Some of these advancements include:

– Continued rollout of trash receptacles similar to those that had been developed in towns and cities to reduce street litter and provide assistance in power reduction for those municipalities.

– Expansion of material cleaners and scrubbers for manufacturing facilities to reduce air pollution while providing electrical power from those reductions in atmospheric emissions.

– Smaller commercial activities such as producing and promoting 10-year guaranteed batteries for small devices that would normally need replacements on a regular basis.

Many of these improvements have been challenged by the manufactures that are currently producing similar items. That is not to be unexpected, as competition has always been a primary source of contention in the business world.

Much of the focus of the challenges have been related to the potential danger of MEC type devices. While this has recently been minimal, the fear of the consequences similar to the now infamous Liberty Power Facility (LPF) incident so many years ago continues to be a dwelling point for those hoping to diminish this move toward the efficiency provided by direct matter energy conversion.

In an effort to reduce the usefulness of this hysteria, sister Kristine has sponsored several videos and training courses designed to explain the details of some of the safety checks and monitoring procedures that are now used in the production of all devices. This information has been well received by the general public and has generally reduced the spread of this type of fear, as the ‘unknown’ has now been acknowledged and is present for review.

One of the members of the governing body created by Ms. Jameson-Johnson had significant work experience with Mr. Jameson and is actively involved in the expansion of the municipal trash receptables previously mentioned. We have procured an opportunity to have an interview with him and will share that later in this series of interviews.

Despite all of the upheaval surfacing as a result of Mr. Jameson’s untimely death, the transition of the responsibility for the continued usage and development of MEC related devices continues, mostly for the best.

We can also note that as with any advanced technical developments, there are some entities that are attempting to replicate this process independently of the knowledge and experience of Mr. Jameson. Most of the knowledge of these developments are somewhat lacking in detail since many of them are in a state of initial and preliminary testing. While few are willing to provide any significant statement of their intent, we suspect that there may be several developers, including nation states that are desirous of achieving the possession of such control.

One of the concerns relating to this development is tied back to the safety issues and with good reason. The early developments conducted by Marcus Jameson were generally in small, isolated locations where any abnormalities might be quickly identified and resolved via personal research. Some of his notes recovered from the early days of the development indicate the hundreds of tests performed on some of the first MECs, to ascertain the results and guarantee reliable results.

For the current developments, since much of the product is anticipated to be of significant financial importance, there is a concern that the amount of testing and verification may be reduced to achieve the result before other competitors can. In this situation, the development may be at higher risk due to the increased pressure to be first to market.

Since there is only so much Ms. Jameson-Johnson has the capability to influence in foreign lands, there are needs that that can and should be addressed by the various governments of these countries regarding the sanctity of intellectual property. Alas, it is the nature of some individuals and some nations to disregard and diminish these protections.

The Government

Many of the questions listed earlier are questions involving the activities of our Federal government and when those activities took place. Many current speculations involving the activities of Marcus Jameson are seemingly linked to other actions either known or suspected by the government.

While we have some individuals that have been allowed to share certain information with us, there is a continuance of the restriction of access to certain information which is still designated as ‘Restricted’ and ‘Security Related’ which is not available.

On questions regarding the available information, we have the ability to access public records and report on what has been revealed. As for the restricted information, that continues to be discussed in court decisions as to whether the need for those restrictions is still necessary.

One of the early questions raised involving the apparent availability of the video from Mr. Jameson’s encounter with the Syrian intrusion has finally been resolved via a series of discussions. The details of this audio/video broadcast have been a quandary for many as they believed that the United States government had full authority and agreement that all communications with Mr. Jameson with regard to this entrance into the rebel stronghold was restricted. It has been revealed that the agreement between Mr. Jameson and the government was very restrictive, revealing that only a transport to the location was provided, and that once Mr. Jameson left (i.e., jumped from) the transport aircraft, the were no further expectations to be met by either party.

The reasons for justifying this minimal agreement were to allow Mr. Jameson to operate as an independent agent, and not be considered to be a legal extension of the United States government. In this situation, the government was not hiring or paying this man to perform any activities related to the abduction of a high-ranking government official, namely, Ms. Virginia Lee. This decision in turn allowed the United State to be separated from liability for any actions that might be taken by this individual in a foreign country.

So, while Mr. Jameson was under no restraints from transmitting this audio/video log of the interaction, the method by which he accomplished this feat was the next in the line of questions. After some revelations, it has been suggested and subsequently verified that the broadcast signal was received by several land-based and even orbital satellites that were near the location at the time of the landing and further toward the end of the encounter.

Once this discovery was confirmed, the next question became: How could the amount of energy required to establish these multiple transmissions be acquired? In estimating the necessary strength of the signal, that question alone was initially considered to be a valid reason to dismiss this proposal as ridiculous.

But remember, this was the man who had the ability to create devices to harness energy in a variety of methods and ways. The discovery that allowed this concern about the required energy to be resolved was linked to the anomalies in the audio transmission that appeared to be fuzzy and garbled in some of the early minutes of the transmissions. It has been confirmed that the necessary levels of broadcast energy were partially lacking in those early minutes, but later, as Mr. Jameson received additional power from the absorption of the weapons fire from the mercenaries, the signal transmission became stronger, and those dropouts diminished and later ended.

Of course, there are additional questions relating to the interaction between the government and Mr. Jameson in a variety of other scenarios where those interactions may have been less obvious.

In some fortunate set of events, the opportunity to ask questions of several ranking politicians involved in some of the early decisions that changed the direction of Mr. Jameson’s activities in the energy production business into some other, less known ventures has appeared. Further discussions with these current and past members of the US Congress may reveal some somber and interesting revelations about the perceptions of our government to Jameson’s activities.

Other Questions

While one might expect general questions to be lower in priority and thus moved further into the details, it was perceived that in answering some of these questions earlier might provide a higher level of confidence in those curious about this man and his story.

As a result, the following sections list many of these questions that are generally considered to be an effective evaluation of the person and his/her significance and general personal values. In some cases, there are references to other information gathering sessions involving additional organizations. These sessions, while they may be true, have not been fully evaluated or verified by our staff.

The recipients of these questions are categorized into a series of classifications, mostly relating to when and how long the person had some interaction with Mr. Jameson and what they were able to learn from those experiences. As will become evident, there are many opinions, and several speculations about the motivations of Mr. Jameson. Likewise, there are some very solid remembrances of him as he became a part of their lives and memories.

While we have attempted to ask all of the right questions, it has been recognized that there are many things which we may never know about the extent of the activities of Mr. Jameson. He was, in our collective opinion, quite unique.

But rather than wait until we have the complete story, let us continue to share and understand what we may already know!

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Childhood

Parents (Edward and Suzanne Jameson)

Interviewer: Today I am here at the home of Edward and Suzanne Jameson, the parents of Marcus Jameson. I sincerely thank you for being willing to share this time with me. I recognize that some of the things that we talk about today may bring up feelings that are overwhelming, and I want you to feel free to stop me when you need time to recover and/or compose your thoughts.

First, is it alright for me to address you as Edward and Suzanne, or would you prefer some other form of address?

Edward: I believe Edward and Suzanne are fine, but Ed and Sue are also good.

Interviewer: Thank you. What can you tell me about Marc as a small child?

Edward: I know that people may be expecting some amazing stories from us, but since Marc was our son, we always considered him to be rather normal. Not normal as plain or insignificant, but we expected that he would be a good fit with society and with regular and traditional human values. I believe that our son was destined to be a contribution to humanity just as any parents hope they children will become.

Suzanne: I think that is accurate, but I suppose we need to point out some of those things that Marc would sometimes do that told us he had certain talents and abilities that would provide him with options for his future. We always enjoyed the times when Katie and Marc would show us that they were thinking beyond just the normal and regular things in life. You know. When they were truly engaged in being themselves.

Interviewer: What can you share about Marcus early years?

Edward: Well, there were dinosaurs!

Suzanne: (laughing) Yes, he was so typical in those early years when he would see something and ask questions.

Edward: Yes, I remember his asking why the dinosaurs were not around anymore, and I told him about the changes in the Earth and the various stages of the evolutions of lifeforms. He was always attentive and would even remind me of some of the things I had told him in previous sessions.

Suzanne: Early on we thought he might become a teacher or even be a college professor because he was always interested in learning about new things.

Edward: And even the ‘new’ things that had been thousands of years in the past, like the dinosaurs. His favorite was the Brontosaurus, because it was the largest, and because it was an herbivore and wasn’t always trying to eat the other dinosaurs.

Suzanne: Yes, he was always the one who was more attuned to peace and civility rather than violence and destruction. If you can consider the dinosaurs to be civil (smiling).

Edward: And once be learned everything about dinosaurs, he moved on to the stars, and astronomy! It was like he wanted to travel to each of those millions of stars and write their stories to share with anyone who would listen.

Suzanne: We got him a small telescope, and several books and he would go outside after dinner to spend hours looking at those constellations and would let us know all of that significant celestial news when he would come back inside to go to sleep.

Edward: It was very interesting, because he was reading at an advanced level. So even in first and second grade he was picking up much of the terminology for describing the tracking of the stars and the planets.

Suzanne: I remember that first time that there was a meteor shower, and he was so thrilled that he invited us to come outside and watch it with him. He even set up chairs for us so we could relax and focus on the shower once it started.

Edward: That’s right! He told us that the weather would be a bit cooler and suggested that we bring out our coats so that we would still be comfortable during the peak part of the shower. It lasted only about 25 to 30 minutes, but he was crouched down between the whole time, pointing at the various sightings, and directing us to where the next set of meteors were to be.

Suzanne: When I shared those events with some of my friends they were amazed and asked what we were planning to do to help Marcus expand his obvious intellect. I guess I didn’t have a solid plan at that point, but Edward and I talked about it.

Edward: We did not want Marcus to be the subject of any unnecessary attention. We didn’t want him to feel that he needed to be brilliant or innovative to receive our love. We wanted him to have a solid and memorable childhood, similar to what our parents had provided for us.

Suzanne: Yes. Those years were special, and we wanted Marcus and Kristine to know that while there would be some difficult times, the time for them to grow and mature would not be subject to expectations from us. We just wanted them to be confident and assured when they decided what they would do in their lives.

Interviewer: Thank you for that. Perhaps it is time to move on to when Marcus moves into Junior High and High School?

Suzanne: (looking at Edward) We already had Kristine moving into High School when Marcus was graduating to Junior High. It was a time when Kristine was experimenting with all sorts of activities and Marcus, as usual, was busy listening and learning from his sister as well as his teachers and classmates.

Edward: While we were hopeful that those years might be extended somehow, it was obvious that Kristine would be as adventurous as any other teenager. In those adventures, whatever she would share was almost immediately a topic of research for Marcus.

Suzanne: (laughing) Oh, yes! Marcus had a bit of a shift from his mostly math, science, and sports focus to something more personal. He was, I believe, attempting to understand his sister from the perspective that she was sharing and demonstrating with interactions between she and her friends.

Edward: It was as if Marcus was becoming a psychologist trainee and was intensely curious as to why people acted in certain ways and mannerisms. He had received all the basic understandings of things like manners, common courtesy, reliability, and the like, but he was seeing things in his sister that both surprised and apparently amused him.

Suzanne: There were several times when, unknown to Kristine, Marcus would ask us some questions relating to her decisions and activities with her friends. Mostly it was simple stuff, but sometimes the questions were ones for which we could only provide speculation.

Edward: Kristine did have one boyfriend, for a short period of time, that Marcus did not understand. He asked us if he should talk to us or talk to Kristine about the things he noted about this friend. As it turned out, this boy was probably as oblivious to Kristine’s expectations as Marcus, but his insight helped us to warn her before she got too involved.

Suzanne: He was a strong sports leader, and as with so many teenagers, he was also a bit reckless in several ways. Before Kristine became too involved, I had a talk with her, and when the breakup eventually happened less than a week later, she was able to understand the situation and adjust to the change with only minimal distress.

Edward: And Marcus, being aware of the potential trauma, was there to help keep her occupied with all sorts of things to do, and I believe that may have helped to reduce that recovery time.

Interviewer: Are there additional moments in his youth that stand out in your memories?

Edward: One of the adventures that reminds me of the unexpected opportunities that Marcus might experience in his life was the science project that he worked on in his Sophomore year.

Suzanne: (laughing) Oh, yes! The animal carrier! What was it that he called his idea?

Edward: The Pack-a-derm transportation unit.

Suzanne: (continuing to laugh, but with tears) Yes, it was supposed to be some kind of anti-gravity device, that would allow someone to carry something as heavy as an elephant on their back.

Edward: His teacher was completely willing to let Marcus propose such a device, abet, without the need to actually construct a working physical prototype. As he shared with us, such a device was deemed impossible, but the research and experimentation that supported the presentation was technically valid if just a few additional items were eventually determined to be feasible.

Suzanne: Beside the paper he produced, including all sorts of equations and conclusions, he did build a physical framework that he had at the display. And he received the award for the most innovative application of theoretical physics for that idea.

Edward: I might add that there was some pushback on that award, and some of the other parents and students were a bit upset that such a seemingly silly idea was granted such acclaim.

Suzanne: Yes, but we eventually accepted that there will be disagreements between us, and that sometimes something silly is just what is needed to take the next steps to a desirable result.

Interviewer: I suppose that that sort of conflict is commonplace within a community and with some of the decisions made inside the schools. Other things worth sharing?

Edward: There were some very interesting and amusing episodes where Marcus was again being a teen, but for the most part he was solid and focused.

Suzanne: Yes, and since college had always been one of those activities in which he was looking forward to, it was not a surprise when he graduated from high school and left us for the university.

Interviewer: So, after high school you had fewer worries and concerns about your children and had more time for other activities?

Suzanne: Oh, certainly. Edward was still working, but I had the option of doing other things, and I used that time to help some of the other mothers to relate to the reduced time with their kids. It was good for them to relate, and good for me to be considered useful in those ways.

Edward: Yes, I agree. We had more time and while there was a certain lack of connection with Kristine and Marcus, we found other activities that kept us going.

Suzanne: Of course, the kids would come home to visit during the semester breaks, but there was no longer the concept of them needing a room of their own at the house. We were considering the idea of downsizing into a smaller home, but I guess … we just never got around to it.

Edward: I am certain other families have had these ideas, but it really did not fit our plans at that time. I guess in looking back at those years, we were just happy that they were both doing well in the world and no longer needed us to show them what they needed to be doing with their time.

Interviewer: Can you share with us when you noticed that Marcus was starting to reveal his inventive nature?

Suzanne: The years at the University were good for him, I believe, and the bachelor’s degree was a good first step. Then as he completed that task and started on some additional learning activities, it seemed like he got a bit off track.

Interviewer: How do you mean, off track?

(Suzanne and Edward look at each other, and Edward continues.)

Edward: Once he had the degree, it was like he was no longer on a predetermined course like he had been before. I suppose traditional education concludes with a career path being clearly visible and the best option is to find an employer that is interested in hiring the graduate for some significant application of that knowledge.

It seemed like Marcus was not certain about continuing to learn in a collegiate setting or within a business environment. We noticed that he was not actively seeking employment, nor was he really all that involved in some of his graduate classes. When we asked, he mentioned that he was having some late-night activities that were distracting him.

Suzanne: We didn’t know the types of distractions that he was experiencing, and when we asked, he was reluctant to say. I guess I thought it was some woman, or some other social thing, but later he shared some of the details of his late-night distractions.

Edward: We heard some of his thoughts when he returned for a brief visit during the summer break, and I was hopefully quite clear when I recommended that he reexamine his activities and focus on becoming more independent and responsible. I didn’t know how he would react to my suggestion, but it appeared to help him find a new pathway.

Interviewer: Interesting that you would use the word pathway. It is common that people get distracted by current day events and somehow lose their direction. I would like to hear more.

Suzanne: Well, he did apply and got a job in the computer industry with an electronics manufacturer. We were so thrilled and celebrated with him over the phone.

Edward: Yes, the job was significant, and was directly related to the things that he had studied for his undergraduate degree. It seemed like the whole situation had been brought back into focus.

Suzanne: When Marcus came back one autumn weekend, the trees had just shed most of their leaves, and Edward let Marcus know that his help was needed to get the yard ready for the predicted early snowfall. I think Marcus was happy to be home again.

Edward: Raking the leaves was one of those things that we had done numerous times in years past, and while I could have hired someone to take them away, I thought it might be an opportunity to learn more about Marcus and his current situation.

In retrospect, we both spent more time wrestling with the leaves and getting them into bags, than talking, but we did have time at the end of the day to talk when we were driving out to the dump to dispose of our collected treasure.

Suzanne: (smiling) It was good to see those two working together again, and the reference to the treasure was a joke that Edward’s mother had shared with us so many years earlier.

Edward: (returning the smile) As we were driving, Marcus caught me with a question relating to the value of those leaves, and that actually, we would be paying for the dump to take them away from us. He framed the question as though the bags of leaves might have significant value on their own, and, that they might not be trash but rather a new source of income.

We started talking about the weight and price per bag of leaves, and I suggested it might be used for mulch or something like that. But Marcus seemed to be seeing something that I did not.

Suzanne: There was more talk about those leaves at dinner time, but I guess we did not understand what had captivated Marcus about their importance. And when he left to go back to his job that next day, he seemed to have more life, and more energy that we had seen in him for quite a while.

Edward: Marcus later shared that that single activity in taking the leaves to the dump had started his thinking about how to utilize the power within material things in a productive way. He shared that he received a direction from that day that would guide him going forward.

Suzanne: And we were happy that our Marcus felt he had a direction and a plan.

Interviewer: That is certainly an inspiring story, and I am certain that there are more of those memories that you two have about your son. If I might ask, did Marcus share much information about the integrated circuitry chips he was able to purchase that became the basis for his original MEC designs?

Suzanne: No, nothing in particular. (looking at Edward) He did tell us that he had gotten a significant benefit for some chips from his company, but he really didn’t indicate what he was planning to do with them.

Edward: That is what I remember as well. Marcus seemed excited that he had made the bid for the excess product, but then there was a buyback from the original owner, and he made quite a bit of profit on that investment. I had not considered him to be an investor or even a gambler, but that example was one of the many decisions that he made to help make his future possible.

Suzanne: Marcus was generally cautious in most of his decisions, so I just expected that the investment was a ‘sure thing’ to him.

Interviewer: The investment that you described is sometimes available to technology employees and is provided to increase the potential engagement of those employees in the financial side of the business. I understand this investment by Marcus was significant.

Suzanne: Well, you may have more knowledge about those kinds of things. We just know that Marcus was pleased with his job and that his career seemed to be advancing well.

He seemed to feel that this was an area of the business where he could actively provide some significant improvements. He was generally more interested in finding ways to better utilize the existing infrastructure but was willing on occasion to find new pathways to achieve those improvements.

I do not know if he was looking for additional incentives, because he seemed to be very enthusiastic about what he was already doing.

Interviewer: So, if you don’t mind sharing, how much of what Marcus was developing did he share with you two?

Suzanne: (looking toward Edward) That may be a bit difficult to determine. You see, since the increased scrutiny of ourselves by the government and other business organizations, we have been a bit wary of sharing much of what has been deemed his ‘secrets’.

Edward: Hmm. If I can add something here, I believe that we cannot really provide any significant detail, or any detail at all about how Marcus was able to establish this process of matter to energy conversion. I am not a scientist, or a physicist, and neither is my wife. When we first heard about his first success, we were of course, very happy.

Suzanne: Yes, he called us on the telephone and shared that he was helping his landlord at his apartment complex to reduce the cost of rent for the people there. We asked a few questions, but it was all high-level in terms of the benefits to the renters there.

Edward: Of course, we were happy that he was being successful at his job, and equally thrilled that he was still concerned with helping others. I think that was one of the times when we accepted that our son had grown up to be a good man.

Suzanne: (eyes forming tears) We had been happy with Kristine as she was launched into this world, and now our son was following in that same direction. For any parents, that is a blessing.

Interviewer: Thank you for that information. Certainly, the months that followed must have had other announcements that Marcus shared with you.

Suzanne: Oh yes! He was working locally and living in his own apartment. And after the successes he experienced, he informed us that he was looking for a place to start his own business.

Obviously, we were surprised, but as he reminded us of the investments he had made, we were able to see that if would not be too difficult for him to afford the purchase of some property. I guess we were just not certain about the property he was interested in purchasing.

Edward: His first adventure in being a business owner, at the Dump, was something that had us a bit perplexed. After all, a man with a college degree owning and managing a trash dump was a bit unexpected.

Suzanne: Yes. We expected that with his invention he would immediately move into manufacturing and marketing that concept and even revolutionize the industry. We didn’t expect that he would become somewhat reclusive in those younger years.

But just as soon as he had the opportunity to expand into a larger and more responsible leadership position, he did just that. The sole ownership of a large and previously public electric energy provider was a giant step forward, in our opinion. Marcus would come back to visit us occasionally once he moved back east. The times when he was in Virginia were some of the ones where he amazed us with his knowledge of business, and of people.

Edward: As Suzy mentioned, the move to the east coast was sort of a surprise, and yet not. That investment was not only an investment of his money, but of Marcus’s full talents. He invested himself, fully and completely.

Interviewer: There has been some additional questions relating to Marcus from the current social culture. Can you share with us the choice of Osman as the middle name for Marcus? Is there some heritage involved?

Suzanne: Yes. Osman is my surname, and that of my father and grandfathers before. My grandfather immigrated here from Germany in the early 1900s. There was some concern during World War I, and then again when my father was enlisting to serve in the U.S. Army in World War II. Edward and I thought that keeping my family name present for Marcus would be a benefit to him.

Edward: We did discuss several middle names for Marcus, but eventually the concept of a continuation of both families was an agreement that suited the situation.

Interviewer: I see. I understand that there were some comparisons of Marcus to the Wizard of Oz. Can you share anything on that suggestion?

Suzanne: (laughing) Oh, that was so funny! I had forgotten about his days in elementary school. I think that