ello, my name is Harvey Schmiedeke, and here is a little bit about myself:

     I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to a frequently unemployed steel worker, Bernard Louis Schmiedeke and his wife and homemaker, Bessie Schmiedeke. I had two brothers and two sisters: Yvonne, Bessie, Bernard Jr., and Harry.

     Because of my poor upbringing, I had to pay for my college education largely under my own steam. I went to Adrian College in Michigan and later Carleton Unviersity in Ottawa, Canada.

     I then worked with disadvantaged youth until 1972 when I was introduced to Scientology.

     I learned more useable information in one week on the Scientology “Anatomy of the Human Mind Course” than I’d learned in several years of psychology at college. This impelled me to work for mental patient’s rights. I visited a large number of psychiatric institutions, working with hospital administration, health ministries, etc. to reform conditions and had much success.

     Throughout this time, I wrote several publications on the subject of mental patients' rights, and continued to publish poetry in literary magazines. I still have a love for this poetry today.

     I have discussed my family life earlier. Today, we live in Los Angeles, in a beautiful home in Lake View Terrace with a large pool, waterfall and garden. My wife is an avid gardener, horse person (dressage), and we have enough pets that we look like a zoo: horse, dog, cats, a Solomon Island parrot, couple dozen finches in a large aviary behind the house.

     Aside from Scientology, my family and my business I have two major personal passions: Motorcycling and Scuba Diving. I have four bikes (two Harleys, a Suzuki Bandit 1200S, and a BMW R1100RT.) I’ve put a couple hundred thousand miles motorcycling in the last ten years. I also have advanced certification as a scuba diver and dive frequently here in California as well as in the Carribbean, Mexico, Bermuda, and elsewhere.