Mel's Bio
As the clocked ticked 10:45 in the evening of May 13, 1930, a healthy Melvin Wayne Cook was born. His life began at Emanuel Hospital, located at 600 N. Commercial Avenue, Portland, Oregon. (Note: That address was changed to 2800, when the renumbering system became effective in 1933.)
Melvin was the fourth child for Mr. and Mrs. Henry Cook; unfortunately, their first child, a girl, was declared stillborn at the time of birth. His father, Henry Adam Cook, was born on March 9, 1902 in Sinabath, Russia. He immigrated to the United States with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Koch, in 1912. Henry’s father, Henry Koch, was from Norka Colony, Saratov, Russia. His mother, Amelia Hart, was also from Norka. (For the Record: When Mel was 21 years old, his grandfather told him that he had been a cook in the Russian Army. Unfortunately, he did not say when, where, or for how long.) Melvin’s mother, Edith Louise Helzer, was born on October 1, 1903 in Portland, Oregon, with a lineage that dates back to Johann Adam Helzer, circa 1748 in Hessen, Germany, and circa 1833 in Norka Colony, Saratov, Russia. Her parents were Mr. and Mrs. Heinrich Helzer. Her father, Heinrich (Henry) Helzer, emigrated from Norka, Russia on May 25, 1900. Her mother, Margaret Albert, emigrated from Russia on June 10, 1899. (Coincidence: Henry was the first name of both of Melvin’s grandfathers.)
Melvin’s homecoming was at 1229 N.E. Alberta Street. After a year or so at that address, the family moved to 761 N.E. Mallory Avenue. The house was next door to the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, and across the street from the Albina Homestead School. (Note: 761 was changed to 3535, when the renumbering system became effective in 1933.)
The joy and happiness, within Melvin’s family, was interrupted when his father became bedridden with Tuberculosis; a serious disease he contracted when he was in the U.S. Army during WWI. Upon his death, at the U.S. Veteran’s Hospital on Marquam Hill at 3:30 a.m. on November 29, 1933, at the early age of 31, the unanticipated burden for his mother of raising Three Young Children alone was daunting. Fortunately, the extent of that burden was somewhat lessened, with generous help from those friends and family members in the close-knit Volga German neighborhood. This misfortune occurred less than 10 years after their marriage on April 22, 1924, in Vancouver, Washington.
When Melvin was three-and-a-half years old, he was with his family during his father’s burial on December 1, 1933 at Plot Number 18, in the Veterans Section at Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery, located at 11801 S.E. Mt. Scott Boulevard. (Note: This interment preceded the opening of the adjacent Willamette National Cemetery for Veterans, at 11800 S.E. Mt Scott Boulevard, by 17 years.) He still remembers standing at the gravesite next to his mother, when he noticed his mother crying; without knowing why, Melvin started crying too.
Later, when Melvin was four or five years old, he was diagnosed with Tuberculosis of the spine, apparently contracted from his father. Melvin and his family were very fortunate, in that he was admitted for treatment at the Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children, located on 10-acres of land, on the Southeast corner of N.E. 82nd Avenue and Sandy Boulevard. In 1983, the Hospital was relocated to 3103 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, on the Oregon Health & Science University campus; and is now called Shriners Hospital for Children. Three vivid memories, from that experience, are still with him. 1) Having to drink an awful tasting, chemically laced, tomato juice cocktail; that would enhance the diagnostic x-rays. Many years had to elapse before he could again enjoy tomato juice. 2) Near the end of his hospitalization, as a reward for his stamina throughout recovery, he was allowed to go to the playground with other children, located about 100 yards south of the main building. Walking there was no problem; however, he needed help walking back. 3) At the end of his hospitalization, he had to wear a complete, form fitting, two-piece leather body-brace; that extended from his waist to under his chin. After wearing that body-brace for many months, he was fortunate, in that, it may have contributed to his erect posture, which he retains to this day.
While growing-up on Mallory Avenue, he attended Boise - Eliot Elementary School, a walking distance of eight blocks West, at 620 N. Fremont Street. Sometime later, the family moved to 101 N. Fremont Street, midway between Vancouver and Williams Avenues, across the street from the Wonder Bread Bakery. Melvin continued his education at Boise, which was now four blocks closer. During this time, his mother married Harold Cook (no relation) circa 1938. Their son, Melvin’s half-brother, Wayne Robert Cook, was born on October 25, 1940. Harold’s parents, Alexander Koch Sr. and Alice Reiber, having emigrated from Saratov, Russia, lived at 914 N.E. Failing Street.
Within a year or two, after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Melvin’s family bought a home at 3816 N.E. 11th Avenue; his last permanent residence in Portland. While living at that address, he attended and graduated from Highland Grade School, now King Elementary School, located at 4906 N.E. 6th Avenue, 10 walking blocks from his home. After graduating from Highland, Melvin continued his education at Sabin High School, now Sabin Elementary School, located at 4013 N.E. 18th Avenue, seven blocks from home. He received his certificate for completing the General Course Study on June 13, 1947.
When he lived at both 3535 N.E. Mallory Avenue and 101 N. Fremont Street, Melvin’s family attended the German Congregational Evangelical Brethren Church, located on the Southwest corner of N.E. Mason Street and Garfield Avenue. By tradition, in 1945, when Melvin was living at 3816 N.E. 11th Avenue, he was confirmed at the Zion German Congregational Church, located on the Northwest corner of N.E. 9th Avenue and Fremont Street. As fate would have it, he was related to one of the organizing members of this Church, Brother Conrad Helzer: his Grand Uncle.
Melvin’s mother died at home, on August 4, 1946 at 9:00 p.m., from breast cancer at the age of 42. Her interment was at the Rose City Cemetery, preferred by many Volga Germans, located at 5625 N.E. Fremont Street. The year following his mother’s untimely death, and after his 17th birthday, Melvin quit high school and applied for a three-year enlistment in the U.S. Army Air Corp. (Note: In 1947, by an act of Congress, the U.S. Army Air Corp was renamed the United States Air Force.)
The Army Air Corp provided a bus to transport Mel, and other recruits from the Portland area, to McChord Field, adjacent to Fort Lewis, in Tacoma, Washington. (Today, those two facilities are consolidated into the Joint Base Lewis-McChord complex.) There, the recruits had to pass a rigorous physical examination, before performing the oath of enlistment into the U.S. Army Air Corp. Having grown up with bad teeth, Mel was rejected, because of “…insufficient natural healthy teeth….” After a thorough review of his file, and their acknowledgement of his excellent health, the Doctors unanimously agreed to waive this rejection. Upon taking the oath of enlistment, Mel became a buck private in the U.S. Army Air Corp. (Coincidence: Both Mel’s father and Mel enlisted in the U.S. Military when they were 17 years old, Mel’s father in the U.S Army, Mel in the U.S. Army Air Corp.)
After completing his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, in San Antonio, Texas, Mel was transferred to Walker Air Force Base, eight miles South of Roswell, New Mexico, home of B-29 Super-fortress Bombers. There, as a draftsman, which he learned while in high school, he was assigned to the Maintenance Squadron of the famed 509th Bombardment Group, the same Bombardment Group that dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. After six months as a draftsman, an opening became available in the Squadron’s payroll and finance section. Mel applied for that position; was accepted; went to administrative and clerk typist school at Lowry Air Force Base, Denver, Colorado; went to payroll and finance school at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Cheyenne, Wyoming; and within six months, was promoted to the rank of sergeant. (Coincidence: Mel’s father was also promoted to the rank of sergeant for “…reposing special trust and confidence in the [his] fidelity and abilities…,” within five months of his enlistment, when he was with Company C, 549th Engineers, during WWI.)
While stationed in Roswell, the Air Force offered many opportunities for education and entertainment, both on and off the Base. Off base, Mel completed a number of college courses, at the New Mexico Military Institute, in Roswell, which added to his scholastic resume. At the Base Swimming Pool, after many months of practice, he revealed his talent for both swimming and diving. At the weekly NCO dance, hostesses would come from Roswell to entertain the Airmen, where Mel realized he had a natural aptitude and soon learned the fundamentals of dancing.
Upon Mel’s Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Air Force, on May 16, 1950, he returned to Portland. After a number of years of varied employment, dancing, and travel, he settled down in Bismarck, North Dakota. (Note: Aware that his grandfather, Henry Koch, had married a woman from North Dakota, he often wondered how his grandfather could have known someone from a state that was so far from Oregon. At that time, Mel was unaware of North Dakota’s Germans from Russia.) While living in Bismarck, he attended Bismarck Junior College, located on the State Capitol Grounds, at 900 E. Boulevard Avenue, now the offices of the State Water Commission; and graduated on May 21, 1958 with an Associates of Arts degree in pre-med. Upon graduation, he received the Quain & Ramstad Clinic Award “For exceptional progress in science studies…and the accompanying award of twenty-five dollars….”
During the summer of 1955, Mel began going to the Bismarck Swimming Pool, now the Elks Aquatic Facility, at 321 W. Broadway Avenue, where he sharpened his skills at swimming and diving. He also became a Red Cross Certified Lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor. Having acquired these attributes, and now working at the Swimming Pool, he was offered the opportunity to coach the Bismarck Swim Team; this offer, he proudly accepted. Progressively, he began training 10 swimmers and 2 divers, 11 to 16 years of age, until the pool closed for the season. Encouraged by the progress of his swimmers, he continued with outdoor aerobic training through October, at St. Mary’s Central High School, 1025 N. 2nd Street; and indoors at Bismarck Junior College, studying filmed swimming techniques from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana; the premier swimming school, at that time. In April, the following year, Mel resumed the aerobic training, until the pool opened in July. He then began intensively training his team for the upcoming swimming meets in Dickinson, Bismarck, and James Town, North Dakota. His swimmers began to appreciate their exertions when almost all of them were awarded medals, mostly Gold and Silver. With this display, and Mel’s confidence, he drove his five best swimmers to the Junior National Championship meet, in Miles City, Montana; in a station wagon provided by Mr. & Mrs. Dillavou, the parents of two team members. Although there were swim teams from throughout the U.S., the meet was dominated by a swim team from Ritzville, Washington, winning most of the medals; including Gold and Silver. (Coincidence: In 1930, about 25 percent of Ritzville’s population was made up of Volga Germans. It was therefore probable, that one or more Ritzville swimmers had Volga German backgrounds, the same as Mel.) At Miles City, his swimmers earned three medals: two Silver and one Bronze, a proud achievement that was shared by all. Following this triumph, he drove the same team members to another award winning swimming meet in St. Cloud, Minnesota, where he also entered his strongest swimmer, Judy Johnson, in the one-mile swim across one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes. To her surprise, she came in second, winning the Silver Medal. (Coincidence: Many years later, in the mid-1970s, Mel was overwhelmed when he saw both Judy and her mother in a restaurant on St. Helens Road, in Northwest Portland.)
In 1957, while in college, Mel married Myrna Loy Modin, in Kenmare, North Dakota. Their only child, Danielle B, was born on January 25, 1958. (Coincidence: When Mel was born, his father was 28 years old; when Danielle was born, Mel was also 28 years old.) (Coincidence: both Mel and his grandfather, Henry Koch, had married someone from North Dakota.)
After Mel and his family moved to Santa Monica, California, in the early 1960s, he extended his pre-med background when he went to work for Bio-Science Laboratories. A clinical laboratory located at 12330 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, bordering Santa Monica. He was initially hired as a laboratory technician, in their Iodine Division. Having demonstrated his proficiency in that Division; after one year, he was promoted to the Chromatography Division, where he learned, and subsequently excelled, in operating their new Analytical Ultracentrifuge; for the clinical analysis of various human serum proteins, including high and low density lipoproteins (HDL and LDL). After each 90-minute ultracentrifugation run, at fifty-thousand rpm, a photographic plate was developed; upon which was displayed a protein distribution curve for as many as six proteins in the sample being analyzed. The math required to calculate the concentration of each protein was intensive; and time consuming. To alleviate that task, on his own, he generated a set of distribution curve charts that required less time and proved to be more accurate, in calculating the results. Approaching three years into this exacting work, he received word that the Oregon National Primate Research Center, at 505 N.W. 185th Avenue, Beaverton, Oregon; was looking for someone with the skills to operate their analytical ultracentrifuge, in the Department of Immunology’s basic research section. This presented an excellent opportunity for Mel to return to the Portland area. After a successful personal interview, at the Primate Center, he accepted this position without hesitation. Upon his departure from Bio-Science Laboratories, in 1965, the head of his department wrote a Letter of Recommendation, which Mel delivered with pride, to his new boss, Dr. Arthur Malley.
Mel was divorced in 1967. However, with concern and love for his daughter, Danielle, it was not until 1968, that he was granted legal custody, the third or fourth father in the state of Oregon to be granted custody of a daughter. In the hopes of providing a complete family setting for his daughter, he was married and divorced three times, with each marriage lasting less than six months. (Coincidence: Mel’s marriage and his mother’s marriage were abruptly ended, short of 10 years.)
During the late 1960s, after taking one session of ski lessons, Mel dedicated the remainder of that ski season to become a proficient skier. The following year, he became a ski instructor at Timberline Lodge, on Mt. Hood. After several years at Timberline, he and another ski instructor started their own ski school, Ski Dynamics; teaching beginners at Summit, on the North side of Mount Hood Highway; and intermediate skiers at SKIBOWL, on the South side of Mount Hood Highway; both in Government Camp, Oregon. The ski school ended after two seasons, when Mel’s partner moved out of state.
While at the Primate Center, in addition to demonstrating his skill in operating the analytical ultracentrifuge, Mel also proved his aptitude in operating their Amino Acid Analyzer, after he returned it to working condition, from its dormancy. Similar to obtaining results from the ultracentrifuge, extensive calculations were required; however, calculating the results from the amino acid analyzer proved to be more rigorous; there could be as many as 20 amino acids to analyze. Again, to alleviate this arduous task, he had the opportunity to attend a FORTRAN class at the Primate Center; learned the FORTRAN computer language; wrote an algorithm that consisted of more than 400 punch cards (lines of code); and operated the Primate Center’s Scientific Data System Mainframe Computer; thus, providing a printout of the desired results. In addition to saving time, the procedure proved to enhance precision.
After these accomplishments, he was encouraged to perform research on the isolation and purification of serum proteins, specifically antigens and antibodies. (Coincidence: While performing this research, Mel also worked with a Dr. Billie Wilson, who was born in Roswell, New Mexico.) Mel made a major contribution to this area of research, when he invented a Protein Dialysis Concentrator; a system which proved to be very effective in increasing the recovery of the isolated serum proteins, by a factor of two; thus, saving considerable time and resources.
Realizing the potential significance of his invention, Mel left the Primate Center, after nearly eight years; started his own company, Bio-Molecular Dynamics; obtained two patents; and generated a database with the names of more than 1,500 scientists. His customers were primarily research biochemists in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry. In addition to selling his products throughout the world, the sale that he was most proud of, was the sale of his patented Micro-Protein Dialysis Concentrator to the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C. This unique system was capable of concentrating to a quantitative final volume of 25 microliter; equivalent to .00085 fluid ounce. 12 years later, he sold the company; was granted a five-year research appointment, with an accompanied restricted area Identification Badge, at the Portland VA Medical Center (now the VA Portland Health Care System), at 3710 S.W. U.S. Veterans Hospital Road; with a concurrent understanding at the adjacent Oregon Health & Science University, at 3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road. With these position secured, he began a collaboration with Dow Corning’s Filter Division, Midland, Michigan, to develop a new line of centrifugal filters for a specific group of blood cells. Mel performed his research at the VAMC and commuted to the OHSU through a 600-foot sky-bridge, connecting the VAMC to OHSU Medical School; designed to facilitate collaboration and patient transport during inclement weather. Throughout his collaboration with OHSU, Mel was afforded the opportunity to share an Electron Microscope, which he soon learned to operate proficiently; thus, allowing him to produce a graphic record of his progress. At an inconvenient time, just over one year later, Dow Corning’s Filter Division was sold to another company, resulting in the termination of the project.
Since 1950, Mel was fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend hundreds of hours dancing with very talented partners, in and around Portland. Especially with Alma Swain, who lived in the Volga German neighborhood somewhere near N.E. 6th Avenue and Shaver Street. With various partners, Mel won many dance contests throughout the Portland area. Including those at the Yalta Club, which was located on the Southwest corner of Shaver Street and Union Avenue; across the street from the Wooden Shoe Tavern, at 3976 N.E Union Ave; now Martin Luther King Boulevard. In 1993, these achievements were culminated when Mel and his partner danced the West Coast Swing on stage with Norman Leyden’s Big Band, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, located on the Northwest corner of S.W. Broadway and Main Street, in downtown Portland. Arlene was married to Harold Schnitzer the son of Sam Schnitzer who had emigrated from Troyanivka, Volyn, Ukraine around 1900. Sam was known in the Albina neighborhood as Zinnte Pfund, the man with a horse and wagon who purchased scrap metals from the Volga Germans. (Coincidence: Mel retains the memory of seeing a horse and wagon and a man, who was very likely Sam, go through the neighborhood, stop at different houses, and talk with the people on their front porch; an unexpected link between Zinnte Pfund, the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, and Mel.)
Subsequent to Mel’s performance with Norman Leyden’s Big Band, he was presented with the opportunity to become a Host on cruise ships, with the Royal Cruise Line in San Francisco. An occasion he gratefully accepted. His primary duties were to dance with single ladies, whether the dance was a Fox Trot, Waltz, Rumba, Samba, Cha-cha, or Swing; during all social events, including those in the lounges and on the main stage. Over a two period, Mel had the opportunity to go on 25 cruises, each lasting a week to ten days; visiting many foreign historical and exotic sites. His most memorable, and emotional experience, was visiting the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, at Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii; and the American Cemetery and Memorial, in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, on the 50th Anniversary of D-Day; June 4, 1995.
In January 2002, Mel moved to the Saratoga – Los Gatos area, in Northern California’s Silicon Valley; ultimately settling in Los Gatos. During this time, Mel’s dormant interests in both filtration and centrifugation were reawakened. To help satisfy this quest, he began researching the potential for a centrifugal filtration system that would be able to remove contaminants from industrial food processing water, while, at the same time; reclaiming more than 90% of that water for reuse. With limited resources, and without a computer and connection to the internet, he was afforded the opportunity to utilize one of the publicly available computers at the new Saratoga Library. There, during the next four-and-a-half years, he devoted his time researching and designing a system that could bring his idea to fruition. In May of 2006, as he was completing his design concept, Mel entered the California Clean Tech Open, whose current mission is “… to find, fund and foster the most promising clean tech startups on the planet.” Although he did not win, Filtration Dynamics was one of 10 finalists, out of 59 entrants.
In addition to being encouraged by this outcome, Mel was fortunate to have had one of the most prestigious law firms in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsoni Goodrich & Rosati, incorporate Filtration Dynamics in 2007. While attempting to entice Venture Capitalists to invest in Filtration Dynamics, it soon became apparent that VCs invest in the entrepreneurial team, not the product. Subsequently, to increase the funding potential for his unique filtration/water-recovery concept, Mel made several attempts to enhance his entrepreneurial team. However, due to his limited resources, lack of facilities, and most likely his age, Mel was 78 at the time; he was not successful. Nonetheless, for his efforts, he did obtain a patent, through Wilson Sonsoni Goodrich & Rosati, for this innovative concept.
Despite the fact that these constraints presented a severe setback, Mel proceeded with his research; expanded on his design, which now included energy recovery; and began writing about what he perceived to be the shortcomings in the wastewater treatment industry; and ultimately had his white papers published on the internet. “Is Your Wastewater Going to Waste?” Published in November 2010, Sustainable City Network. “To Get Energy From Wastewater • Think Energy Latent Organics • Not Sewage Sludge.” Published in June 2011, California Energy Commission. “To Get Energy from Wastewater,” published in July 2011, Filtration Dynamics. To Mel’s delight, these perceived shortcomings were subsequently validated in November 2012 by “…an international authority on wastewater treatment, management and reuse…,” George Tchobanoglous, professor emeritus, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis.
Stimulated by this validation, Mel moved to Los Gatos, where he had the opportunity to utilize the most up-to-date computer/internet facilities; at the new Los Gatos Library, which opened on February 2012. There, he continued his research and design, while centering his writing on the Resource Recovery Plant concept. His “Existence Hypothesis: Resource Recovery Plant” was published on April 2013, on Teru Talk.
This interruption did not stop Mel in his pursuit with energy from wastewater. To this day, for anyone attempting to change the ingrained mind-set of those decision makers in the current wastewater treatment industry; it is not only a challenge, it is also a formidable task; notwithstanding Dr. Tchobanoglous’ insights. However, Mel was able to make a modicum of progress with his recently updated white paper, "Existence Hypothesis: Resource Recovery Plant, To Extract Maximum Energy from Municipal Wastewater" when he emailed it to the Department of Energy’s office of Energy Efficiency and Recoverable Energy. Their immediate response was that he should write a proposal for funding; and send it directly to the program manager within DOE. Mel interpreted this reply as, not only a positive response, vis-à-vis the proposal and potential for funding, but also, for the recognition of its intrinsic worth.
On the morning of August 10, 2013, Mel was taken to the Emergency Room at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, located at 3801 Marinda Avenue, in Palo Alto. This emergency was due to his inability to urinate, causing pressure on his bladder that was approaching unbearable. The immediate diagnosis was an enlarged prostate, which had closed off his urethra. To relieve the pressure, a catheter, through which the urine could flow unimpeded, was inserted through his penis into his bladder. When the bladder was empty, the catheter was connected to a urine drainage bag secured to his calf, into which the urine would be free to drain. Mel wore this configuration for a couple of weeks; with constant monitoring by the VA’s urologists, followed by medication that allowed him to urinate; in preparation for his scheduled TURP (Transurethral Resection of the Prostate) operation.
Anticipating a short two-to-three day recovery, Mel drove to the Palo Alto VA on that scheduled day of March 5, parked his car in the parking lot and checked in at the Outpatient Surgery Services, where he was prepped for surgery. After his successful operation, during which another catheter was inserted to enhance healing, Mel was transferred to the 3C recovery room. (Note: This was Mel’s first hospitalization since his bout with TB of the spine; more than 78 years ago.) The following morning, after a night without discomfort or trauma, the catheter was removed. Further urination was to be into a container, in which the amount of blood in the urine could be visually monitored. Later that morning, he decided to give it a try. As was customary for the first urination, the nurse guided him to the restroom, discerning his stability. In the restroom, by himself, Mel was ready to urinate. The next he remembers, was lying on the floor, unable to breathe deeply, and looking up at a beautiful young woman who was talking to him while adjusting an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. Then, his memory went blank. As he would later learn, the young woman was a Doctor on the Code Blue team. His next memory was lying in bed with an oxygen tube attached to his nose; tubes and cables connected to his chest and both arms; plus a bedside full of instruments that were used to monitor his vitals: He was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Later that day, after reviewing Mel’s condition, the attending Doctor explained what had happened. After a number of tests had been performed, including x-ray and a CT scan, they diagnosed that he had suffered from Bilateral Pulmonary Emboli (blood clots in both lungs); a life threatening condition, with mortality rates as high as 80%, much higher for a person his age (83). The Doctor also said his survival was likely due to his excellent health. (Almost every day, for the past 42 years, Mel was accustomed to running, and/or walking.) This comforting news, plus being told that his vitals were stable, added to his sense of well-being. So much so that, during the afternoon of the next day, he was allowed to go for a walk around the courtyard adjacent to the ICU. Throughout this exhilarating 50-to-60-yard walk, a nurse pushed the instrument stanchion, with its tubes and wires attached to him, while he pushed a four-wheel walker. This exertion free confidence builder allowed Mel to lie-back; enjoy his being attended to during confinement; and act as if he was on vacation: Socializing with the attending nurses, doctors, interns, and staff.
Mel spent four comfortable days in ICU. This was followed by two days in Intermediate ICU, where he was attended to by Occupational and Physical Therapists. Anticipating multiple sessions, each therapist, especially the Physical Therapists, evaluated his capabilities and concluded that one session was more than adequate. Mel’s next move was back to 3C, where he spent his final three days in the hospital. On the morning of the last day, to reinforce his self-confidence, he walked, unattended, 10 times around 3C’s 50-yard corridor, after which his monitored vitals proved stable. At intervals, throughout the next couple of hours, he repeated the same procedure three more times. In total, he walked more than one mile, producing consistent, stable vitals. Mel was ready to drive home.
The following week, during his scheduled appointment at the VA Urology Clinic, the Doctor explained the results of a biopsy, which Mel was unaware of, that had been performed on prostate tissue that was taken during the TURP operation. The results: Mel has Carcinoma of the Prostate, Prostate Cancer. Moreover, their overwhelming concern was Prostate Cancer Metastasis. To assess this life threatening concern, i.e., “has the cancer spread to his bones and/or lymph nodes?” the Doctor arranged for an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). Mel was very fortunate, in that the results proved negative; his bones and lymph nodes were cancer free. However, he was not out of the woods yet; he still had to contend with Carcinoma of the Prostate.
Arrangements were then made for Mel to go to the Radiation Oncology Clinic, located on 875 Blake Wilbur Drive, at Stanford University’s Cancer Center, in Palo Alto. (It is common practice for the VA Health Care System to collaborate with adjacent University Hospitals, in this instance Stanford’s Radiation Treatment facilities.) When he arrived for that June 25 appointment, the radiation oncologist outlined the protocol that he was to follow for his Prostate Cancer Radiation Treatment. Beginning the next day, there would be 26 sessions ending on August 1. After his last treatment, Mel was presented with a Certificate of Completion of Radiation Treatments, which he proudly accepted. Mel’s Prostate Cancer was in complete remission.
The following month, after a routine Urology Clinic appointment, Mel decided to visit the ICU; he wanted to bring those compassionate people up-to-date. The ones that recognized him were quite impressed with his current health, and congratulated him on his recovery. Most impressed, was Lamar Redd, who became aware of Mel on his first day in ICU. During many conversations that followed, Lamar and Mel became good friends. For posterity, this friendship was recorded in a photo of Lamar Congratulating Mel.
Having recognized the inherent limitations to move Filtration Dynamics forward, Mel nonetheless, was justifiably encouraged by the response he received from DOE. Accordingly, the Resource Recovery Plant concept became a renewed opportunity toward a possible reality. To extend upon this potential, he began the process of contacting Civil Engineering professors at California universities: Specifically those who were teaching the fundamentals of wastewater treatment. His objective was to offer his designs and patents, including his most recent patent for Energy from Wastewater, in addition to his services; as an inducement to stimulate one or more professors to write the requested proposal for funding; and send it directly to the program manager within DOE. (Note: It is common practice for governmental agencies to request proposals for funding; from which the funding agency will edit to conform to their Funding Opportunity Announcements.) Then, when that Funding Opportunity is announced, the individual(s) would apply for the Grant, with a very high probability of being awarded that Grant. Prediction: In due course, the Resource Recovery Plant, or one or more iterations thereof, will become the new EPA standard for municipal wastewater treatment.
The challenge continues, and life, at 86, goes on.
(Coincidence: Both Mel’s Mother, Edith Louise Cook and his Daughter, Danielle B. Pawley, had four children: three from their first marriage, two boys and one girl; and one boy from their second marriage.) (Grand Coincidence: Mel’s Grandmother Amelia Hart Koch, Mel’s Mother Edith Helzer Cook, and Mel’s Daughter Danielle Cook Pawley, each had four children, three boys and one girl.)
Life is made up of many coincidences that tell us, if we have the patience to listen, that we are not alone.
Special thanks have been extended to Mel’s niece, Susan Myers McKechnie, for her extensive research and boundless dedication, in compiling the genealogical history of the Helzer–Koch (Cook) Families. This Bio would be incomplete, without her factual data.
Melvin was the fourth child for Mr. and Mrs. Henry Cook; unfortunately, their first child, a girl, was declared stillborn at the time of birth. His father, Henry Adam Cook, was born on March 9, 1902 in Sinabath, Russia. He immigrated to the United States with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Koch, in 1912. Henry’s father, Henry Koch, was from Norka Colony, Saratov, Russia. His mother, Amelia Hart, was also from Norka. (For the Record: When Mel was 21 years old, his grandfather told him that he had been a cook in the Russian Army. Unfortunately, he did not say when, where, or for how long.) Melvin’s mother, Edith Louise Helzer, was born on October 1, 1903 in Portland, Oregon, with a lineage that dates back to Johann Adam Helzer, circa 1748 in Hessen, Germany, and circa 1833 in Norka Colony, Saratov, Russia. Her parents were Mr. and Mrs. Heinrich Helzer. Her father, Heinrich (Henry) Helzer, emigrated from Norka, Russia on May 25, 1900. Her mother, Margaret Albert, emigrated from Russia on June 10, 1899. (Coincidence: Henry was the first name of both of Melvin’s grandfathers.)
Melvin’s homecoming was at 1229 N.E. Alberta Street. After a year or so at that address, the family moved to 761 N.E. Mallory Avenue. The house was next door to the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, and across the street from the Albina Homestead School. (Note: 761 was changed to 3535, when the renumbering system became effective in 1933.)
The joy and happiness, within Melvin’s family, was interrupted when his father became bedridden with Tuberculosis; a serious disease he contracted when he was in the U.S. Army during WWI. Upon his death, at the U.S. Veteran’s Hospital on Marquam Hill at 3:30 a.m. on November 29, 1933, at the early age of 31, the unanticipated burden for his mother of raising Three Young Children alone was daunting. Fortunately, the extent of that burden was somewhat lessened, with generous help from those friends and family members in the close-knit Volga German neighborhood. This misfortune occurred less than 10 years after their marriage on April 22, 1924, in Vancouver, Washington.
When Melvin was three-and-a-half years old, he was with his family during his father’s burial on December 1, 1933 at Plot Number 18, in the Veterans Section at Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery, located at 11801 S.E. Mt. Scott Boulevard. (Note: This interment preceded the opening of the adjacent Willamette National Cemetery for Veterans, at 11800 S.E. Mt Scott Boulevard, by 17 years.) He still remembers standing at the gravesite next to his mother, when he noticed his mother crying; without knowing why, Melvin started crying too.
Later, when Melvin was four or five years old, he was diagnosed with Tuberculosis of the spine, apparently contracted from his father. Melvin and his family were very fortunate, in that he was admitted for treatment at the Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children, located on 10-acres of land, on the Southeast corner of N.E. 82nd Avenue and Sandy Boulevard. In 1983, the Hospital was relocated to 3103 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, on the Oregon Health & Science University campus; and is now called Shriners Hospital for Children. Three vivid memories, from that experience, are still with him. 1) Having to drink an awful tasting, chemically laced, tomato juice cocktail; that would enhance the diagnostic x-rays. Many years had to elapse before he could again enjoy tomato juice. 2) Near the end of his hospitalization, as a reward for his stamina throughout recovery, he was allowed to go to the playground with other children, located about 100 yards south of the main building. Walking there was no problem; however, he needed help walking back. 3) At the end of his hospitalization, he had to wear a complete, form fitting, two-piece leather body-brace; that extended from his waist to under his chin. After wearing that body-brace for many months, he was fortunate, in that, it may have contributed to his erect posture, which he retains to this day.
While growing-up on Mallory Avenue, he attended Boise - Eliot Elementary School, a walking distance of eight blocks West, at 620 N. Fremont Street. Sometime later, the family moved to 101 N. Fremont Street, midway between Vancouver and Williams Avenues, across the street from the Wonder Bread Bakery. Melvin continued his education at Boise, which was now four blocks closer. During this time, his mother married Harold Cook (no relation) circa 1938. Their son, Melvin’s half-brother, Wayne Robert Cook, was born on October 25, 1940. Harold’s parents, Alexander Koch Sr. and Alice Reiber, having emigrated from Saratov, Russia, lived at 914 N.E. Failing Street.
Within a year or two, after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Melvin’s family bought a home at 3816 N.E. 11th Avenue; his last permanent residence in Portland. While living at that address, he attended and graduated from Highland Grade School, now King Elementary School, located at 4906 N.E. 6th Avenue, 10 walking blocks from his home. After graduating from Highland, Melvin continued his education at Sabin High School, now Sabin Elementary School, located at 4013 N.E. 18th Avenue, seven blocks from home. He received his certificate for completing the General Course Study on June 13, 1947.
When he lived at both 3535 N.E. Mallory Avenue and 101 N. Fremont Street, Melvin’s family attended the German Congregational Evangelical Brethren Church, located on the Southwest corner of N.E. Mason Street and Garfield Avenue. By tradition, in 1945, when Melvin was living at 3816 N.E. 11th Avenue, he was confirmed at the Zion German Congregational Church, located on the Northwest corner of N.E. 9th Avenue and Fremont Street. As fate would have it, he was related to one of the organizing members of this Church, Brother Conrad Helzer: his Grand Uncle.
Melvin’s mother died at home, on August 4, 1946 at 9:00 p.m., from breast cancer at the age of 42. Her interment was at the Rose City Cemetery, preferred by many Volga Germans, located at 5625 N.E. Fremont Street. The year following his mother’s untimely death, and after his 17th birthday, Melvin quit high school and applied for a three-year enlistment in the U.S. Army Air Corp. (Note: In 1947, by an act of Congress, the U.S. Army Air Corp was renamed the United States Air Force.)
The Army Air Corp provided a bus to transport Mel, and other recruits from the Portland area, to McChord Field, adjacent to Fort Lewis, in Tacoma, Washington. (Today, those two facilities are consolidated into the Joint Base Lewis-McChord complex.) There, the recruits had to pass a rigorous physical examination, before performing the oath of enlistment into the U.S. Army Air Corp. Having grown up with bad teeth, Mel was rejected, because of “…insufficient natural healthy teeth….” After a thorough review of his file, and their acknowledgement of his excellent health, the Doctors unanimously agreed to waive this rejection. Upon taking the oath of enlistment, Mel became a buck private in the U.S. Army Air Corp. (Coincidence: Both Mel’s father and Mel enlisted in the U.S. Military when they were 17 years old, Mel’s father in the U.S Army, Mel in the U.S. Army Air Corp.)
After completing his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, in San Antonio, Texas, Mel was transferred to Walker Air Force Base, eight miles South of Roswell, New Mexico, home of B-29 Super-fortress Bombers. There, as a draftsman, which he learned while in high school, he was assigned to the Maintenance Squadron of the famed 509th Bombardment Group, the same Bombardment Group that dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. After six months as a draftsman, an opening became available in the Squadron’s payroll and finance section. Mel applied for that position; was accepted; went to administrative and clerk typist school at Lowry Air Force Base, Denver, Colorado; went to payroll and finance school at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Cheyenne, Wyoming; and within six months, was promoted to the rank of sergeant. (Coincidence: Mel’s father was also promoted to the rank of sergeant for “…reposing special trust and confidence in the [his] fidelity and abilities…,” within five months of his enlistment, when he was with Company C, 549th Engineers, during WWI.)
While stationed in Roswell, the Air Force offered many opportunities for education and entertainment, both on and off the Base. Off base, Mel completed a number of college courses, at the New Mexico Military Institute, in Roswell, which added to his scholastic resume. At the Base Swimming Pool, after many months of practice, he revealed his talent for both swimming and diving. At the weekly NCO dance, hostesses would come from Roswell to entertain the Airmen, where Mel realized he had a natural aptitude and soon learned the fundamentals of dancing.
Upon Mel’s Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Air Force, on May 16, 1950, he returned to Portland. After a number of years of varied employment, dancing, and travel, he settled down in Bismarck, North Dakota. (Note: Aware that his grandfather, Henry Koch, had married a woman from North Dakota, he often wondered how his grandfather could have known someone from a state that was so far from Oregon. At that time, Mel was unaware of North Dakota’s Germans from Russia.) While living in Bismarck, he attended Bismarck Junior College, located on the State Capitol Grounds, at 900 E. Boulevard Avenue, now the offices of the State Water Commission; and graduated on May 21, 1958 with an Associates of Arts degree in pre-med. Upon graduation, he received the Quain & Ramstad Clinic Award “For exceptional progress in science studies…and the accompanying award of twenty-five dollars….”
During the summer of 1955, Mel began going to the Bismarck Swimming Pool, now the Elks Aquatic Facility, at 321 W. Broadway Avenue, where he sharpened his skills at swimming and diving. He also became a Red Cross Certified Lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor. Having acquired these attributes, and now working at the Swimming Pool, he was offered the opportunity to coach the Bismarck Swim Team; this offer, he proudly accepted. Progressively, he began training 10 swimmers and 2 divers, 11 to 16 years of age, until the pool closed for the season. Encouraged by the progress of his swimmers, he continued with outdoor aerobic training through October, at St. Mary’s Central High School, 1025 N. 2nd Street; and indoors at Bismarck Junior College, studying filmed swimming techniques from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana; the premier swimming school, at that time. In April, the following year, Mel resumed the aerobic training, until the pool opened in July. He then began intensively training his team for the upcoming swimming meets in Dickinson, Bismarck, and James Town, North Dakota. His swimmers began to appreciate their exertions when almost all of them were awarded medals, mostly Gold and Silver. With this display, and Mel’s confidence, he drove his five best swimmers to the Junior National Championship meet, in Miles City, Montana; in a station wagon provided by Mr. & Mrs. Dillavou, the parents of two team members. Although there were swim teams from throughout the U.S., the meet was dominated by a swim team from Ritzville, Washington, winning most of the medals; including Gold and Silver. (Coincidence: In 1930, about 25 percent of Ritzville’s population was made up of Volga Germans. It was therefore probable, that one or more Ritzville swimmers had Volga German backgrounds, the same as Mel.) At Miles City, his swimmers earned three medals: two Silver and one Bronze, a proud achievement that was shared by all. Following this triumph, he drove the same team members to another award winning swimming meet in St. Cloud, Minnesota, where he also entered his strongest swimmer, Judy Johnson, in the one-mile swim across one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes. To her surprise, she came in second, winning the Silver Medal. (Coincidence: Many years later, in the mid-1970s, Mel was overwhelmed when he saw both Judy and her mother in a restaurant on St. Helens Road, in Northwest Portland.)
In 1957, while in college, Mel married Myrna Loy Modin, in Kenmare, North Dakota. Their only child, Danielle B, was born on January 25, 1958. (Coincidence: When Mel was born, his father was 28 years old; when Danielle was born, Mel was also 28 years old.) (Coincidence: both Mel and his grandfather, Henry Koch, had married someone from North Dakota.)
After Mel and his family moved to Santa Monica, California, in the early 1960s, he extended his pre-med background when he went to work for Bio-Science Laboratories. A clinical laboratory located at 12330 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, bordering Santa Monica. He was initially hired as a laboratory technician, in their Iodine Division. Having demonstrated his proficiency in that Division; after one year, he was promoted to the Chromatography Division, where he learned, and subsequently excelled, in operating their new Analytical Ultracentrifuge; for the clinical analysis of various human serum proteins, including high and low density lipoproteins (HDL and LDL). After each 90-minute ultracentrifugation run, at fifty-thousand rpm, a photographic plate was developed; upon which was displayed a protein distribution curve for as many as six proteins in the sample being analyzed. The math required to calculate the concentration of each protein was intensive; and time consuming. To alleviate that task, on his own, he generated a set of distribution curve charts that required less time and proved to be more accurate, in calculating the results. Approaching three years into this exacting work, he received word that the Oregon National Primate Research Center, at 505 N.W. 185th Avenue, Beaverton, Oregon; was looking for someone with the skills to operate their analytical ultracentrifuge, in the Department of Immunology’s basic research section. This presented an excellent opportunity for Mel to return to the Portland area. After a successful personal interview, at the Primate Center, he accepted this position without hesitation. Upon his departure from Bio-Science Laboratories, in 1965, the head of his department wrote a Letter of Recommendation, which Mel delivered with pride, to his new boss, Dr. Arthur Malley.
Mel was divorced in 1967. However, with concern and love for his daughter, Danielle, it was not until 1968, that he was granted legal custody, the third or fourth father in the state of Oregon to be granted custody of a daughter. In the hopes of providing a complete family setting for his daughter, he was married and divorced three times, with each marriage lasting less than six months. (Coincidence: Mel’s marriage and his mother’s marriage were abruptly ended, short of 10 years.)
During the late 1960s, after taking one session of ski lessons, Mel dedicated the remainder of that ski season to become a proficient skier. The following year, he became a ski instructor at Timberline Lodge, on Mt. Hood. After several years at Timberline, he and another ski instructor started their own ski school, Ski Dynamics; teaching beginners at Summit, on the North side of Mount Hood Highway; and intermediate skiers at SKIBOWL, on the South side of Mount Hood Highway; both in Government Camp, Oregon. The ski school ended after two seasons, when Mel’s partner moved out of state.
While at the Primate Center, in addition to demonstrating his skill in operating the analytical ultracentrifuge, Mel also proved his aptitude in operating their Amino Acid Analyzer, after he returned it to working condition, from its dormancy. Similar to obtaining results from the ultracentrifuge, extensive calculations were required; however, calculating the results from the amino acid analyzer proved to be more rigorous; there could be as many as 20 amino acids to analyze. Again, to alleviate this arduous task, he had the opportunity to attend a FORTRAN class at the Primate Center; learned the FORTRAN computer language; wrote an algorithm that consisted of more than 400 punch cards (lines of code); and operated the Primate Center’s Scientific Data System Mainframe Computer; thus, providing a printout of the desired results. In addition to saving time, the procedure proved to enhance precision.
After these accomplishments, he was encouraged to perform research on the isolation and purification of serum proteins, specifically antigens and antibodies. (Coincidence: While performing this research, Mel also worked with a Dr. Billie Wilson, who was born in Roswell, New Mexico.) Mel made a major contribution to this area of research, when he invented a Protein Dialysis Concentrator; a system which proved to be very effective in increasing the recovery of the isolated serum proteins, by a factor of two; thus, saving considerable time and resources.
Realizing the potential significance of his invention, Mel left the Primate Center, after nearly eight years; started his own company, Bio-Molecular Dynamics; obtained two patents; and generated a database with the names of more than 1,500 scientists. His customers were primarily research biochemists in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry. In addition to selling his products throughout the world, the sale that he was most proud of, was the sale of his patented Micro-Protein Dialysis Concentrator to the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C. This unique system was capable of concentrating to a quantitative final volume of 25 microliter; equivalent to .00085 fluid ounce. 12 years later, he sold the company; was granted a five-year research appointment, with an accompanied restricted area Identification Badge, at the Portland VA Medical Center (now the VA Portland Health Care System), at 3710 S.W. U.S. Veterans Hospital Road; with a concurrent understanding at the adjacent Oregon Health & Science University, at 3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road. With these position secured, he began a collaboration with Dow Corning’s Filter Division, Midland, Michigan, to develop a new line of centrifugal filters for a specific group of blood cells. Mel performed his research at the VAMC and commuted to the OHSU through a 600-foot sky-bridge, connecting the VAMC to OHSU Medical School; designed to facilitate collaboration and patient transport during inclement weather. Throughout his collaboration with OHSU, Mel was afforded the opportunity to share an Electron Microscope, which he soon learned to operate proficiently; thus, allowing him to produce a graphic record of his progress. At an inconvenient time, just over one year later, Dow Corning’s Filter Division was sold to another company, resulting in the termination of the project.
Since 1950, Mel was fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend hundreds of hours dancing with very talented partners, in and around Portland. Especially with Alma Swain, who lived in the Volga German neighborhood somewhere near N.E. 6th Avenue and Shaver Street. With various partners, Mel won many dance contests throughout the Portland area. Including those at the Yalta Club, which was located on the Southwest corner of Shaver Street and Union Avenue; across the street from the Wooden Shoe Tavern, at 3976 N.E Union Ave; now Martin Luther King Boulevard. In 1993, these achievements were culminated when Mel and his partner danced the West Coast Swing on stage with Norman Leyden’s Big Band, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, located on the Northwest corner of S.W. Broadway and Main Street, in downtown Portland. Arlene was married to Harold Schnitzer the son of Sam Schnitzer who had emigrated from Troyanivka, Volyn, Ukraine around 1900. Sam was known in the Albina neighborhood as Zinnte Pfund, the man with a horse and wagon who purchased scrap metals from the Volga Germans. (Coincidence: Mel retains the memory of seeing a horse and wagon and a man, who was very likely Sam, go through the neighborhood, stop at different houses, and talk with the people on their front porch; an unexpected link between Zinnte Pfund, the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, and Mel.)
Subsequent to Mel’s performance with Norman Leyden’s Big Band, he was presented with the opportunity to become a Host on cruise ships, with the Royal Cruise Line in San Francisco. An occasion he gratefully accepted. His primary duties were to dance with single ladies, whether the dance was a Fox Trot, Waltz, Rumba, Samba, Cha-cha, or Swing; during all social events, including those in the lounges and on the main stage. Over a two period, Mel had the opportunity to go on 25 cruises, each lasting a week to ten days; visiting many foreign historical and exotic sites. His most memorable, and emotional experience, was visiting the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, at Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii; and the American Cemetery and Memorial, in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, on the 50th Anniversary of D-Day; June 4, 1995.
In January 2002, Mel moved to the Saratoga – Los Gatos area, in Northern California’s Silicon Valley; ultimately settling in Los Gatos. During this time, Mel’s dormant interests in both filtration and centrifugation were reawakened. To help satisfy this quest, he began researching the potential for a centrifugal filtration system that would be able to remove contaminants from industrial food processing water, while, at the same time; reclaiming more than 90% of that water for reuse. With limited resources, and without a computer and connection to the internet, he was afforded the opportunity to utilize one of the publicly available computers at the new Saratoga Library. There, during the next four-and-a-half years, he devoted his time researching and designing a system that could bring his idea to fruition. In May of 2006, as he was completing his design concept, Mel entered the California Clean Tech Open, whose current mission is “… to find, fund and foster the most promising clean tech startups on the planet.” Although he did not win, Filtration Dynamics was one of 10 finalists, out of 59 entrants.
In addition to being encouraged by this outcome, Mel was fortunate to have had one of the most prestigious law firms in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsoni Goodrich & Rosati, incorporate Filtration Dynamics in 2007. While attempting to entice Venture Capitalists to invest in Filtration Dynamics, it soon became apparent that VCs invest in the entrepreneurial team, not the product. Subsequently, to increase the funding potential for his unique filtration/water-recovery concept, Mel made several attempts to enhance his entrepreneurial team. However, due to his limited resources, lack of facilities, and most likely his age, Mel was 78 at the time; he was not successful. Nonetheless, for his efforts, he did obtain a patent, through Wilson Sonsoni Goodrich & Rosati, for this innovative concept.
Despite the fact that these constraints presented a severe setback, Mel proceeded with his research; expanded on his design, which now included energy recovery; and began writing about what he perceived to be the shortcomings in the wastewater treatment industry; and ultimately had his white papers published on the internet. “Is Your Wastewater Going to Waste?” Published in November 2010, Sustainable City Network. “To Get Energy From Wastewater • Think Energy Latent Organics • Not Sewage Sludge.” Published in June 2011, California Energy Commission. “To Get Energy from Wastewater,” published in July 2011, Filtration Dynamics. To Mel’s delight, these perceived shortcomings were subsequently validated in November 2012 by “…an international authority on wastewater treatment, management and reuse…,” George Tchobanoglous, professor emeritus, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis.
Stimulated by this validation, Mel moved to Los Gatos, where he had the opportunity to utilize the most up-to-date computer/internet facilities; at the new Los Gatos Library, which opened on February 2012. There, he continued his research and design, while centering his writing on the Resource Recovery Plant concept. His “Existence Hypothesis: Resource Recovery Plant” was published on April 2013, on Teru Talk.
This interruption did not stop Mel in his pursuit with energy from wastewater. To this day, for anyone attempting to change the ingrained mind-set of those decision makers in the current wastewater treatment industry; it is not only a challenge, it is also a formidable task; notwithstanding Dr. Tchobanoglous’ insights. However, Mel was able to make a modicum of progress with his recently updated white paper, "Existence Hypothesis: Resource Recovery Plant, To Extract Maximum Energy from Municipal Wastewater" when he emailed it to the Department of Energy’s office of Energy Efficiency and Recoverable Energy. Their immediate response was that he should write a proposal for funding; and send it directly to the program manager within DOE. Mel interpreted this reply as, not only a positive response, vis-à-vis the proposal and potential for funding, but also, for the recognition of its intrinsic worth.
On the morning of August 10, 2013, Mel was taken to the Emergency Room at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, located at 3801 Marinda Avenue, in Palo Alto. This emergency was due to his inability to urinate, causing pressure on his bladder that was approaching unbearable. The immediate diagnosis was an enlarged prostate, which had closed off his urethra. To relieve the pressure, a catheter, through which the urine could flow unimpeded, was inserted through his penis into his bladder. When the bladder was empty, the catheter was connected to a urine drainage bag secured to his calf, into which the urine would be free to drain. Mel wore this configuration for a couple of weeks; with constant monitoring by the VA’s urologists, followed by medication that allowed him to urinate; in preparation for his scheduled TURP (Transurethral Resection of the Prostate) operation.
Anticipating a short two-to-three day recovery, Mel drove to the Palo Alto VA on that scheduled day of March 5, parked his car in the parking lot and checked in at the Outpatient Surgery Services, where he was prepped for surgery. After his successful operation, during which another catheter was inserted to enhance healing, Mel was transferred to the 3C recovery room. (Note: This was Mel’s first hospitalization since his bout with TB of the spine; more than 78 years ago.) The following morning, after a night without discomfort or trauma, the catheter was removed. Further urination was to be into a container, in which the amount of blood in the urine could be visually monitored. Later that morning, he decided to give it a try. As was customary for the first urination, the nurse guided him to the restroom, discerning his stability. In the restroom, by himself, Mel was ready to urinate. The next he remembers, was lying on the floor, unable to breathe deeply, and looking up at a beautiful young woman who was talking to him while adjusting an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. Then, his memory went blank. As he would later learn, the young woman was a Doctor on the Code Blue team. His next memory was lying in bed with an oxygen tube attached to his nose; tubes and cables connected to his chest and both arms; plus a bedside full of instruments that were used to monitor his vitals: He was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Later that day, after reviewing Mel’s condition, the attending Doctor explained what had happened. After a number of tests had been performed, including x-ray and a CT scan, they diagnosed that he had suffered from Bilateral Pulmonary Emboli (blood clots in both lungs); a life threatening condition, with mortality rates as high as 80%, much higher for a person his age (83). The Doctor also said his survival was likely due to his excellent health. (Almost every day, for the past 42 years, Mel was accustomed to running, and/or walking.) This comforting news, plus being told that his vitals were stable, added to his sense of well-being. So much so that, during the afternoon of the next day, he was allowed to go for a walk around the courtyard adjacent to the ICU. Throughout this exhilarating 50-to-60-yard walk, a nurse pushed the instrument stanchion, with its tubes and wires attached to him, while he pushed a four-wheel walker. This exertion free confidence builder allowed Mel to lie-back; enjoy his being attended to during confinement; and act as if he was on vacation: Socializing with the attending nurses, doctors, interns, and staff.
Mel spent four comfortable days in ICU. This was followed by two days in Intermediate ICU, where he was attended to by Occupational and Physical Therapists. Anticipating multiple sessions, each therapist, especially the Physical Therapists, evaluated his capabilities and concluded that one session was more than adequate. Mel’s next move was back to 3C, where he spent his final three days in the hospital. On the morning of the last day, to reinforce his self-confidence, he walked, unattended, 10 times around 3C’s 50-yard corridor, after which his monitored vitals proved stable. At intervals, throughout the next couple of hours, he repeated the same procedure three more times. In total, he walked more than one mile, producing consistent, stable vitals. Mel was ready to drive home.
The following week, during his scheduled appointment at the VA Urology Clinic, the Doctor explained the results of a biopsy, which Mel was unaware of, that had been performed on prostate tissue that was taken during the TURP operation. The results: Mel has Carcinoma of the Prostate, Prostate Cancer. Moreover, their overwhelming concern was Prostate Cancer Metastasis. To assess this life threatening concern, i.e., “has the cancer spread to his bones and/or lymph nodes?” the Doctor arranged for an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). Mel was very fortunate, in that the results proved negative; his bones and lymph nodes were cancer free. However, he was not out of the woods yet; he still had to contend with Carcinoma of the Prostate.
Arrangements were then made for Mel to go to the Radiation Oncology Clinic, located on 875 Blake Wilbur Drive, at Stanford University’s Cancer Center, in Palo Alto. (It is common practice for the VA Health Care System to collaborate with adjacent University Hospitals, in this instance Stanford’s Radiation Treatment facilities.) When he arrived for that June 25 appointment, the radiation oncologist outlined the protocol that he was to follow for his Prostate Cancer Radiation Treatment. Beginning the next day, there would be 26 sessions ending on August 1. After his last treatment, Mel was presented with a Certificate of Completion of Radiation Treatments, which he proudly accepted. Mel’s Prostate Cancer was in complete remission.
The following month, after a routine Urology Clinic appointment, Mel decided to visit the ICU; he wanted to bring those compassionate people up-to-date. The ones that recognized him were quite impressed with his current health, and congratulated him on his recovery. Most impressed, was Lamar Redd, who became aware of Mel on his first day in ICU. During many conversations that followed, Lamar and Mel became good friends. For posterity, this friendship was recorded in a photo of Lamar Congratulating Mel.
Having recognized the inherent limitations to move Filtration Dynamics forward, Mel nonetheless, was justifiably encouraged by the response he received from DOE. Accordingly, the Resource Recovery Plant concept became a renewed opportunity toward a possible reality. To extend upon this potential, he began the process of contacting Civil Engineering professors at California universities: Specifically those who were teaching the fundamentals of wastewater treatment. His objective was to offer his designs and patents, including his most recent patent for Energy from Wastewater, in addition to his services; as an inducement to stimulate one or more professors to write the requested proposal for funding; and send it directly to the program manager within DOE. (Note: It is common practice for governmental agencies to request proposals for funding; from which the funding agency will edit to conform to their Funding Opportunity Announcements.) Then, when that Funding Opportunity is announced, the individual(s) would apply for the Grant, with a very high probability of being awarded that Grant. Prediction: In due course, the Resource Recovery Plant, or one or more iterations thereof, will become the new EPA standard for municipal wastewater treatment.
The challenge continues, and life, at 86, goes on.
(Coincidence: Both Mel’s Mother, Edith Louise Cook and his Daughter, Danielle B. Pawley, had four children: three from their first marriage, two boys and one girl; and one boy from their second marriage.) (Grand Coincidence: Mel’s Grandmother Amelia Hart Koch, Mel’s Mother Edith Helzer Cook, and Mel’s Daughter Danielle Cook Pawley, each had four children, three boys and one girl.)
Life is made up of many coincidences that tell us, if we have the patience to listen, that we are not alone.
Special thanks have been extended to Mel’s niece, Susan Myers McKechnie, for her extensive research and boundless dedication, in compiling the genealogical history of the Helzer–Koch (Cook) Families. This Bio would be incomplete, without her factual data.
Source
Last updated September 14, 2016