
Eugene Franklin Mallove was born on June 9, 1947 to Gladys and Mitchell Mallove. He grew up in Norwich, Connecticut and graduated from the Norwich Free Academy in 1965. From an early age, he loved science and especially astronomy.
Gene went to the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, Massachusetts in the fall of 1965. During the summer of 1968, he was a staff assistant at Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, aiding in tests of Project Apollo lunar mission guidance equipment. In 1969, Gene earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. While in Boston, he met the love of his life, Joanne Smith, who was a student at Boston University. In 1970, Gene earned a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from MIT.
On September 9, 1970, Gene and Joanne married. In 1974, they were blessed with their first child, daughter Kimberlyn. A son Ethan followed in 1979.
Gene worked in high technology engineering at companies like Hughes Research Laboratories, TASC (The Analytic Science Corporation), Harvard University Air Cleaning Laboratory and MIT Lincoln Laboratory; he gained extensive hands-on experience in laboratory settings.
Gene received a Doctorate in Environmental Health Sciences from Harvard University in 1975. In 1979, he founded Astronomy New England, a company that developed and marketed astronomy-related projects, including a 3-D star map and computer-aided telescope.
Gene’s writing career began in late 1982. He was a freelance science writer for MIT Technology Review, The Washington Post, The Planetary Report, Air & Space, Sky & Telescope and other newspapers and magazines. He wrote a self-syndicated newspaper science column, “Starbound,” which was published mostly in New England newspapers.
From 1985 to 1987, Gene was a science writer and broadcaster for Voice of America. He wrote and voiced the weekly 15-minute program “New Horizons,” which focused on science, technology and medicine.
Gene’s first book, The Quickening Universe: Cosmic Evolution and Human Destiny, was released in 1987. In 1989 he co-authored The Starflight Handbook: A Pioneer’s Guide to Interstellar Travel with Gregory Matloff.
Gene served as an adjunct professor at Boston University, teaching graduate-level courses on Science and the News Media. He was also a lecturer in science journalism in the MIT Department of Humanities.
In 1987, Gene became Chief Science Writer and Assistant Director in charge of reporting on all MIT research for the university newspaper, Tech Talk. He was a national and local news media contact for MIT research.
When the cold fusion story broke in March 1989, Gene had worked at the MIT News Office for less than two years. He famously resigned his position in June 1991 due to controversy related to MIT’s cover-up of cold fusion data (see Gene’s telling of this history in Infinite Energy #24).
Gene’s Pulitzer-nominated book Fire from Ice: Searching for the Truth Behind the Cold Fusion Furor was released in May 1991. He began working as a consultant to U.S. corporations and investment firms doing R&D in cold fusion. He was the inaugural editor of Cold Fusion, producing three acclaimed issues. In late 1994, he and colleagues began the foundation of what would become Infinite Energy.
Infinite Energy Issue 1 was published in March 1995 by Gene’s new company, Cold Fusion Technology. Gene served as Technical Advisor to the movie “The Saint” in 1997. In 1997, after years of independent testing of cold fusion/new energy devices, Gene formally opened the New Energy Research Laboratory, part of Cold Fusion Technology. At its height, the lab employed four researchers and tested dozens of technologies. The lab closed in 2003 due to lack of funding, but Gene continued to test technologies in his home basement.
Gene co-wrote and co-produced the 1999 documentary, “Cold Fusion: Fire from Water.” In 2002, the for-profit Cold Fusion Technology reverted to the non-profit New Energy Foundation. One of the Foundation’s main purposes was to provide research grants; over $1 million in grants have been given out since early 2003.
Gene served as Infinite Energy editor and President of the New Energy Foundation until his murder on May 14, 2004. Just before his death, he met the first born of his first born—his first grandson, Matthew.
In 55 issues of Infinite Energy, Gene wrote captivating editorials. He was a prolific writer, authoring or co-authoring over 130 other pieces in the magazine. Issue 56 was a tribute to Gene with pieces written by his family, friends and colleagues. You only need to read one of these remembrances to understand what a kind, devoted person Gene Mallove was—but we hope that you will read them all to better learn the many facets of Gene's personality, interests and endeavors:
In Memory of My Father (Kimberlyn Mallove Woodard)
24 Years Is Far Too Few (Ethan Mallove)
Eugene Ma-Love (Jana Goldstein Scher)
Memorializing Gene (Bill Zebuhr)
Of Flying Pigs and Starry Skies (Christy Frazier)
Memories of a Colleague (Barbara DelloRusso)
My Unexpected Challenge (James Kornberg)
A Few Words Dedicated to Dr. Eugene Mallove (Mitchell Swartz & Gayle Verner)
Homage to a Peerless Friend (Paulo and Alexandra Correa)
Gene Mallove: From Before Cold Fusion Through Tragedy (Dean Musgrave)
Galileo of Our Time: In Memory of Dr. Eugene Mallove (Brian O'Leary)
The Leading Light of Cold Fusion (George Miley)
Gene Mallove's Magic (Scott Chubb)
In Memory of a Fallen Friend (Stephen Kaplan)
Remembering Gene Mallove (Mike Carrell)
Additional tribute material was later published:
The Longest Year: Mourning the Loss of Eugene Mallove (Kimberlyn Woodard, Ethan Mallove and Jana Scher)
In Recognition of Eugene Mallove, His Promethean Quest and His Magic (Scott Chubb and Thomas Valone)
Finding the Truth About the Furor and Other Thoughts About the Cold Fusion Controversy on the Fourth Anniversary of Gene Mallove’s Death
Gene Mallove's extensive publishing history is detailed in the Publications section of the archive. Photographs and videos from various stages of Gene's life are also part of this collection.
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