These were originally submitted to the original website about Otto Schmitt maintained by HKN honor society at the University of Minnesota.

Otto by Otto
Since 1935 my scientific efforts, while widely diversified and often multidisciplinary, have almost always had within them an element of what is now being called Biomimetic Science and Technology. I am confident that a major new quantitative life-based science is emerging which directly, rather than indirectly, seeks its algorithmic mathematical foundations, its discoveries and its analogical applications by emulation of life principles accessible to us via perceptive consciousness insight, rather than by second or third generation laundering through conventional physics, chemistry or other physical sciences that often lead us to conflicting and confusing images of thought. Early applications of this Biomimetic thinking were productive: the cathode (emitter) follower circuit; the differential amplifier; the differentiator and integrator circuits; the computer rotatable three-dimensional stereoscopic cathode ray presentation; the heat pipe; the H transforms and the negative and positive resistance, inductance, capacitive synthesis methods, to name a few. More recently the theory and application of vector point function Transfer Impedance principles to Vector Cardiology has given us the tools of Stereovectorelectrocardiology and so-called focussed Bioelectrode arrays. A family of Biomimetic sensory transducers, including Thermodes and Filar electrodes, is springing up. The emergence of Bivalent Logic computer designs as well as the newer concepts of Interpenetrating Domain Topology for computation and control, offer high promise for the Artificial Intelligence field. Currently, designs and instrumentation are developing for phase-lock-loop control and measurement in humans and in medical imaging with promise for Biofeedback and Feedforward Therapy. The Whole Life Personally Portable Medical Record is becoming available; multivariate strand epidemiology for optimized diagnosis and therapy; the new technology of quality of life characterization by Santosha index and its enhancement utilizing mental reprogramming techniques are under investigation. Intriguing insights into advanced health concepts are emerging through our participation in the Archaeus Project and the informal MIT, Harvard, Minnesota higher mind-brain modeling studies...
Otto H. Schmitt
Supplied by Ken Young
Young Family Archives

The Psychic Boom
by Otto Schmitt
We are all very familiar with the load and even destructive "boom" that occurs when an aircraft or missile moves through the air faster than the speed of sound, pushing the air aside and leaving a void which the air rushes from all sides and collides with itself, creating an impact that can be heard for miles. Why has no one looked for the analogous miniature "boom" that should occur if telekinetic phenomena do indeed cause physical objects instantly to appear, disappear, or move by some finite distance?
Does the appearing object move the air out of its way before taking the place of the air? If so even a pencil- or spoon-size void would make a loud bang. Does the object materialize among the air molecules and have to "digest" them? This would be hard for even the most extraordinary of solid metallic objects to accomplish and would require infinite accelerations and associated forces.
Short of accepting an hypothesis of aerodynamics (or hydrodynamics when the object is under water), how can we intelectually allow psychically induced motions to occur with a minimal fracturing of the laws of physics?
If we consider the perceptive imagery built out of visual or auditory or other biologically received information as being projected, so to speak, onto the mind's imaging screen, then these images become the reality we recognize. Telekinetic and other unfamiliar paranormal experiences, then may exist as reality in the domain of imaged perception as an alternative to existing in the physical world; thus they are indistinguishable from other reality. This raises new problems, but allows us to seek out the "psychic boom" as one of many examples of first-order evidence that there is another working model of reality.
From "Artiflex", the journal of the Archaeus Project, Vol. 5, No.2 (May 1986)
Submitted by Dennis Stillings

Otto H. Schmitt - Advisor and Friend
by John J. Almasi, Ph.D. U of M 1972
March 15, 1998
I had a special and somewhat unique relationship with Otto Schmitt as I was his graduate student but also his friend. I had gotten acquainted with him before I came to Minnesota as he had befriended my family through some consulting work he did for my father. Otto and Viola would stay at our house as they went back and forth to the Gordon Conferences in New England during the summers in the early 1960's. As I considered where to go to graduate school I seriously considered Minnesota but was a bit intimidated since Otto often asked me questions I couldn't answer. But finally I decided on his laboratory since I figured that I would really learn a lot there even though I knew it wouldn't be easy.
Otto had a wonderful ability to clearly separate his roles as my advisor and friend. Thus he could be a hard taskmaster and find many faults with my latest research data and have me redo the analysis one minute, but when I asked him for some help the next minute with my car he would seamlessly take off the advisor hat, put on his friend hat, and help me with advice, or roll up his sleeves and rescue me. The dual roles were mutually understood and I never tried to get special treatment as a student by leveraging the friendship, perhaps because I knew that Otto's integrity would never permit this.
This dual relationship was very special to me - this allowed me to learn Biophysics but also allowed me to have a friend and father figure far from my home in New York. It made for some precious experiences and conversations together. In fact he and Viola "got me to the church on time" in their Jeep Wagoneer for my wedding in Springfield, IL on a freezing day om 1972. Of course they could not help teasing me in the throes of my last minute jitters.
When I finished my postdoctoral appointment and took the job with GE Medical Systems in 1973, I wrote him and Viola a letter thanking for all they had done for me on both the professional and personal fronts. Even though I have stayed in touch with them over the years, now that they are both gone I'm really glad that I wrote that letter to explicitly thank them!
Submitted by John J. Almasi

March 15, 1998
My Otto Story
by William E. Davies
Though I had been to many meetings over the years where Otto was present and we had exchanged a few words on a number of occasions, it was not until one evening after the speaker had concluded his talk at a meeting of the Minneapolis Theosophical Society and we had put out chairs in a circle to further discuss the topic of the evening that for the first time I heard Otto speak of length and express his views. At that moment I knew that the man I had shied away from was a man with an open mind. He was someone I could talk to.
When the discussion was over I went across the circle to him and told him what I thought of his comments. He came alive. We continued talking until they had to close the building. Before we parted, he invited me to his office the next day for a half hour session. That half hour session turned into 4 hours and ended with an invitation to join his class. That invitation extended out for 3 years during which time, I an architect who knew absolutely nothing about biophysics, met graduate students from all over the world, physicians, heart surgeons, research scientists, the head of the department of Health and Human Services from Washington, and whenever there was a lecture Otto planned to attend, I was invited to go along.
One time I asked him why he wanted me, an architect, in his classes: He left it for me to figure out. When I proposed that it was because I had broken out of the mold and therefore thought differently and had a different approach to problem solving and that he wanted them exposed to me, he did not disagree.
He thought enough of me to invite me to teach a class while he went off to Washington. The subject: "How to go to lectures while you are asleep." His wonderful lovely wife, Viola, sat in. Later someone would tell me what an honor that was to have a member of the Manhattan project attend my lecture. Everyone in the class bought the book I recommended, THROUGH THE CURTAIN, by Dr. Viola Neal. Otto also ordered a copy though I suspect he knew all about going to classes while he was asleep since over the years he had contacted colleagues around the world while he was asleep.

A few days after Viola had moved on to another dimension, a friend and I invited Otto to lunch. Because the four of us had become close friends who could share openly our experiences in the paranormal, Otto told us about waking up in the middle of the night to find Viola in his arms where she had always been when they were together. He went on to tell us that he had spent the previous evening talking with Viola at the dinner table. After this final goodbye, Otto was not the same man. We tried holding classes to keep him occupied sharing his ideas, but he was content to let others talk.
Finally it became necessary for him to retire to a nursing home. Friends and I would visit him regularly during the years he spent in the different nursing homes. He would joyfully open his arms and say to the members of the staff who were present, "These are very special people that you have got to meet."
Because of his long time friend and colleague, Frank Meyer, I was fortunate enough to be there at the nursing home with Frank the morning of the day of Otto's transition later that evening.
I shall always be grateful for those years of friendship I shared with both Viola and Otto.
Submitted by William E. Davies

Memories
by Edith C. DeClue
When we were little I remember how much Uncle Otto liked Grandpa (his father) *Dust Janes?*. And he used to enjoy coming for Christmas every year. Our Grandma looked forward to him being with the family.
He had one room in the building which was called "Uncle Otto's Room". There he did experiments and other things scientists did.
Later he and Aunt Viola used to call my mom every Sunday. She loved to talk and listen to him. After she passed away in Oct. 1992, the called me every Sunday. We talked about what they had done that week and were going to do the next week and asked me what I was doing. He really enjoyed to shop and he loved to cook. He told me what his favorite foods were. He also told me I should take Vitamin E as he did, which I still do.
And I remember that sad Sunday morning when he called and told me that he had found Aunt Viola had passed away during the night, March 1994. We cried together, he still continued to call me. I knew he would be lost without her.
I sure do miss him and his calls. He was a very brillian and kind man. I'm thankful he was my Uncle Otto.
Submitted by Edith C. DeClue

Remembering Otto Schmitt
Otto Schmitt will be best remembered for his "accomplishments", however, they do not represent his greatest value to the world. Underlying all of what we have 'seen' of Otto is his unique way of thinking, or more accurately, his extreme depth of unders tanding of great varieties of things that he could relate to each other.
He chose to look for 'connections' between things the rest of us have no reason to notice. We need 'reasons' to notice - Otto did not. He noticed what was! He was unhindered by our usual judgements about what was 'important'. Otto looked for 'importance' on a much higher level. His interest was in the greater reality, in the most inclusive sense. We, on the other hand, spend most of our effort in separating everything from all else and from its own components.
Therefore we 'understand' the pieces but seldom see much of a 'picture'. Complete pictures are the province of those rare people, like Otto, who look far beyond existing ideas, with a very open mind. Otto left 'ideas' on his desk to be 'stolen' by ap propriate people because he had no time or interest in the physical development process other than to instigate it. He is the only Absolute-Altruist I have known.
His purpose was to broaden everyone's horizon to become aware of the exceptional talents and abilities in each individual. Schools do this very poorly. Otto missed high school because he was invited to study with Pavlov in Russia and with the German scientific scholars, who took him into their homes to teach him what no one else could understand.
He learned as a child that none of us ever think in the same Thought-Figures as anyone else. He called this "Message-Code-Duality" - we don't realize how poorly we communicate because we foolishly think that we think alike. So, we ask each other for acknowledgment, right?
He was a point of contact for the University for people with para-psychological skills. He thought it a natural skill for in his childhood he encountered these events as a normal, but unexpected feature of his life.
For instance, we have many electrical devices that measure physical functions, but some people have greater sensitivity to this action than others. Otto was an instrumental developer of Magneto-Cardiography, the sensing of heart functions by their magnetic (vs. electrical) activity.
After he invented the Navy's magnetic anomaly detector for finding submarines via their effect on the Earth's magnetic fields, he helped develop 'de-Gaussing' equipment to reducing the inherent magnetic signatures of steel ships.
He deeply understood the greater aspects of the medical field, including many highly effective types of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. He was more interested in how a frog naturally controls its leaping function (to land on the right lily pad), than in dissecting the frog to watch its muscles twitch.
His questions about the leaping frog led to questions about 'feedback' information to control the impact point... which led Otto to questions about an electrical circuit that might duplicate the functions... which led to the differential amplifier (op- amp) that is the basis for all fidelity in communication and thousands of other applications.
This is the key point: Otto thought from the 'outside-in' - we usually do the opposite. We take things apart to find out how they work. Otto related things to other things, and asked why they bothered to worked. He looked for the Purposeful- Relationship of everything to everything else.
Submitted by Bill Laittre

Eulogy of Professor Otto H. Schmitt
A valued community member, Professor of Biophysics, Dr. Otto H. Schmitt, for many years a University of Minnesota faculty member, technology inventor and splendid teacher of biology and ethics, has died January 5, 1998 in Roseville, Minnesota.
Otto Schmitt has been an honest, ambitious, yet humble, a courageous and loving private and public person of infinite inherent human worth. Through his previously deceased wife of more than half a century, Viola, Otto understands each ethical person, whether man or woman, is not less than, but rather is independent and inherently equal in human worth to the whole of humankind. Thus, he has understood that the proper part of humankind, the private person, is under the governance of ethical as well as physical laws; that virtue is its own reward; that virtue is not a burden, but a challenge to expand to the full circle of the universe and to have no preferences but those of spontaneous love.
Professor Otto Schmitt will be well remembered for his many inventions and teaching accomplishments, including his having been among the first as yet few authentic scientists and moralists, supporting the reciprocal system of physical and metaphysical theory and practice, originated by the deceased engineer and author of Beyond Space and Time, Dewey B. Larson.
According to Mr. Larson, the structure of the physical universe as a whole is entirely finite and, in particular, motion and space-time are identical and quantised or finitely divisible, rather than unrelated and continuous.
According to Mr. Larson, the physical universe exists to make possible life of humankind, animals, and plants. Humankind is not a mere incident or accident of the physical. Human life requires the material and cosmic sectors, the two physical sectors of our existence, in which to develop and grow young bodies and minds. In this contingency we remain under the governance of the laws of physics, but this is not all. Our end is not in the physical. Human existence also inhabits a Third Non-Physical Sector Beyond Space and Time. The infinite soul and human spirit of each private person is under the governance of a moral code, whose laws it is the business of the science of ethics to explore and discover.
It appears evident to us because it is evidently true, as professed by our 1776 Declaration by the representatives of the United States of America in general Congress assembled, that all private persons, whether woman or man, are designed infinite, independent and inherently equal in death. Nothing so natural, universal and necessary as human death can possibly have been designed as an evil by Nature's God, S{he}.
Frank H. Meyer         Winfred J. Duffy-Meyer
Life Members, University of Minnesota Alumni Association

First Impressions
by Tom O'dea
I first met Otto in the summer of 1977 when I was asked by the U of MN. Hospital to help commission the clinic building, the Philips-Wangensteen (unit B/C) building. One problem area was the EKG area, an area that Otto had been interested in. Instead of using RF mesh, solid plates had been used for shielding, a method I had never seen before. I called Otto and asked to see him to talk about this. He was as many have mentioned, very cordial, and he invited me over to his *"Quonset Hut"*.
What an experience! First I met Viola, who took my "mug shot" and entered me in Otto's Log Book! Otto greeted me and sat me facing a WWII vintage radar controlled 5 in. naval gun (I recognized it from my service days). We got into a spirited discussion about the very low frequency naval communication facility for submarines in Wisconsin. As we talked, I asked him if he placed all of his visitors "under the gun". He laughed and we resolved our technical issues. We always had a great time.
I admire Otto's practical application of theoretical principles and I think it is a legacy of Otto that the U of MN Biophysical Science Department excels in that area. Otto encouraged my return to school. I visited him at Lakeridge and still saw a spark of his interest and cordiality.
Submitted by Tom O'Dea

Einstein?
by Harmon Rullifson
The setting was a beautiful summer evening on the lawn of the Bakken Library Building. It was the "social hour" of a meeting of the Archaeus Society.
Otto and I were strolling around the lawn engaged in a very deep philosophical discussion, to which, as usual, I was contributing little.
We sat down on a lawn bench. Again as usual, several people came over and chimed in. One of them quoted Einstein. Otto abruptly and dead seriously asked, "Einstein! What is so unique about him?!!"
Submitted by Harmon Ruliffson

All Dressed Up
by Harmon Rullifson
At an Archaeus Society office open house a tool was needed for something.
Otto rifled through his suit coat side pockets and came up with the item. Everyone mentally noticeed the great quantity of items in those pockets.
Viola was sitting at a table, close by, eating a snack.
I said, "Otto, you must take an hour to dress in the morning!!" Viola choked, sputtered and guffawed. She said, "You don't know how how true that is!!
Submitted by Harmon Ruliffson

Three Stories
by Ken Young
I remember being in awe and more than a little afraid of "Uncle Otto's room." I am a nephew, sixteen years younger than Otto. My mother Viola was his sister. In 1935, following the death of her husband, she brought me and four siblings from Buffalo to live with her parents in St. Louis. I was five years old. We lived upstairs, above the wallpaper and paint store, warehouse, dentist office and several other rooms. One of these was know as Otto's room. It was kept closed and always seemed dark and mysterious. Occasionally he let us inside and there were books, bottles, gadgets, boxes, and equipment of all kinds from floor to ceiling, filling the shelves and cluttering the room. One wall had all sorts of electrical connections fastened there. Otto loved to turn off the lights and throw a switch. A brilliant bolt of blue, orange and yellow electricity would then arc and sizzle several feet through the air. We were simultaneously mesmerized and reminded to stay out of his room when he wasn't there.
A favorite Otto story is his own report of an adventure of his under the kitchen table when he was eight years old. (I had my own adventures under that same table.) He had a "lab" there. His brother, Frank, ten years older, had talked about stimulating muscles by electricity. A family acquaintance occasionally brought rabbits for the family's dinner table. A relative would skin them and leave them on the table for the housekeeper to prepare and cook. Carrie Schnell was her name. Otto had obtained an auto spark coil and rigged up a wire connection to one of the rabbit carcasses. Unsuspecting Carrie came into the room. Otto pushed the key and made the connection. The rabbit jumped and so did Carrie!

In early January of 1950 I was completing my fourth year in undergraduate social work at Washington University. I took a course on Interviewing that involved conducting an interview with someone who frequently did interviewing, then writing a report on qualifications, techniques, etc. Otto and Viola were visiting over Christmas and so I interviewed him. I still have a copy of my report. He was a helpful as he could be and impressed me a great deal and gave me all sorts of ideas. My report contains the following interesting paragraph:
"The thought occured to me during the interview that interviews in which both people are equally interested in observing the other become almost a contest and perhaps ridiculous. My thought became a reality soon afterwards when he commented that many interviewees are a bit sheepish and giggle in a silly way during the interview. I laughed a little and as I did, thought that I was doing just what he was talking about. I was right for he added, "Just like you're doing now." Consequently, though much of the interview I felt as if I were the one being interviewed."
My report also notes that I "was very conscious of the fact that I was talking with someone who was by far my superior in intelligence and experience."
Submitted by Ken Young

Clocks
by Tom Young
Not only did Otto wear two watches, have a pocket full of more pens than anybody, and bring us strange food from foreign countries, he also had a talking clock! This clock announced the time on the hour and when you pressed a button. This amazing piece of technology (come on, I was a kid) was frequently used as the tiebreaker for the two watches Otto was wearing. Even though I have since learned you can buy these clocks at Radio Shack, the magic has still not been lost on me...
Submitted by Tom Young