A.L.Kitselman (1914 - 1980) was a remarkable man. A genius mathematician, scientist and psychologist who was way ahead of his time. He was a pioneer in ‘Cognitive Therapy’, a linguist, a musician, and an early writer of computer code.

He wrote a series of books all of which have now been reprinted and brought together as the Kitselman Collection to honour the man and his work and to re-kindle a flame that he lit back in the 1950s , the ramifications of which are becoming more and more evident in today’s world.

Alva La Salle (Beau) Kitselman was born in 1914 in Battlecreek, Michigan, and raised in Muncie, Indiana. His father, A. L. Kitselman Senior, was the man who patented and manufactured the first steel roller skates, by putting the ball bearing into them, and also invented and patented machines that weave wire fencing out in the fields.

Beau had an incredibly high IQ and at an early age was holding piano recitals. At a young age he began his lifelong journey of study into many languages, religions, belief systems, our need for belief systems, and our capability for psychological healing, wonderful growth, and achievement. He became a scientist at a young age, and also studied chemistry, physics and mathematics as well. Integrating science and the teachings of the Prophets of many religions, he later developed E-Therapy in the 1940s.

He attended Columbia University in New York, MIT in Boston, and Babson Institute near Boston. In New York, he founded The Institute of Integration; a forum for discussion and study, for the purpose of enlightening and aligning to our own higher selves. The members examined religions, philosophy, science, and world cultural and political matters. Then he went on to Stanford University, in California.

During World War II, he worked with the Department of Defense, on various top secret operations. During the early '60s, he was asked by the US military to improve upon the new defensive weapon: the anti-ballistic missile (ABM).

The information below is from a C.V. that Beau wrote on April 29 1978.

SUMARY OF ACTIVITES

I have been programing mathematical operations since before computers came into existence.

By 1932 had “discovered” (independently) the calculus of finite differences, Bernoulli’s numbers, and the Euler-Maclaurin sum formula. In 1933 first applied calculus to stock market averages.

By 1936 had developed series approach to differential and integral equations.

In 1939 developed a calculus of personal interactions (estimators assigning weights to each other’s estimates).

In 1941 developed (and wrote book on) Analytical Curve Design, telling how to envelop aircraft and/or missiles in contours free from discontinuities in curvature this method was empirically confirmed at Cal-Tech in 1943.

In 1945 designed the “Trajector”, a generator of trajectories of missile paths.

By 1951 had developed the hyper-Fourier method, which describes many periodic phenomena (such as speech sounds, vibration responses, etc.) - in five parameters or less.

By 1954 had developed a calculus effective in personnel evaluation. By 1961 had developed a statistical method whereby “continuum transmission” may be added to the repertory of predictive methods; verified this in 1961-1963.

In 1963-70 designed CALPAK and OPER8, computer packages which reduce time and costs in scientific computing.

In 1971-78 rendered these last two obsolete by designing and Developing MERLIN, an extremely fast and accurate scientific computing language, and CALTRAN, a special compiler for scientific work.

EDUCATION

In 1922 was selected by Dr Lewis M. Terman of Stanford as having the second highest I.Q. found in the Los Angeles area (a girl was 30 points higher). I. Q. estimated variously at 184, 144 and 125.

In 1931 graduated “cum laude” from Culver Military Academy.

In 1931-32 and 1933-36 attended Stanford as an auditing student, studying under Uspensky, etc.

In 1933 received a degree in business administration from Babson Institute.

In 1936 published a small book on Chinese philosophy (Taoism).

In 1939 prepared a text on the Maclaurin calculus (unpublished).

In 1941 wrote a book on “Analytical Curve Design”. In 1945 started a small publishing venture, The Translator’s Press.

In 1962 wrote and published a book on how to improve organizational procedures.

In 1937 wrote a paper on “The Problem of N Bodies” and read same to the Astronomy faculty and advanced students at Berkeley.

In 1961 prepared a report on para-prediction which led to Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory Project 4610, which appeared in May of 1963.

EXPERIENCE

In 1931 became treasurer of the Indiana Steel & Wire Company - an $8,000,000 firm. Retained this position until 1936.

In 1936-38 owned and managed the Pyramid Lake Ranch, a desert lake resort hotel.

In 1939-41 operated Persons Incorporated, an analytical service for creative persons.

In 1942 became staff mathematician of Vega Aircraft Corporation; designed fuselage curves on P2V, wrote text “Analytical Curve Design”.

In 1943 became chief mathematician of Hydraulic Machinery Laboratory at Cal-Tech; designed torpedo and bomb contours.

In 1945 became chief mathematician of Torpedo Launching Project at Cal Tech; designed the Trajector and solved equations permitting simulations of torpedo motion.

1945-59 research, lecturing and publishing as director of the Institute of Integration and the Translator’s Press.

1959-60, in partnership with Faust R. Gonsett and. Lynn C. Fayman, built the world’s largest printed circuit plant (175 employees) at Encinitas. Designed computer-controlled high speed drill for circuit boards, also analog computer for rapid estimates.

1960-78 research, lecturing and publishing (as before). Study in field of electrohydrodynamics (based on work of T. Townsend Brown, Oliver Heaviside and Sir James Jeans) with a view to identifying GRAVITY as a second-order dielectric phenomenon, development of continuum transmission as a means of making predictions, computing motion of pipe hanging 18,000 feet in Mohole Project, (*) computing osmosis processes, etc.