X-Message-Number: 1680
Date: 25 Jan 93 08:52:22 EST
From: "Steven B. Harris" <>
Subject: CRYONICS Az Bldg Fundraising Hist.

An addendum to Dave Pizer's last note, for the sake of history: 
Dave says:

   >>Mike is confused about the time period that we were looking
at the building (and showing it to our members), and the time
period that we began to try to raise money to purchase it.  We
had the building properly secured during the time I helped with
the fund raising.  I have old copies of the signed agreement to
sell (with the legal owner) in my possession.<<

   Comment:  This seems to be the old memory hold operating.  Or
perhaps part of the confusion is that it is not clear to me when
the "fund raising" period ostensibly began, as opposed to this
"looking at and showing to members" period.  I know from my
journal that I personally first found out about the Scottsdale
building when Dave Pizer telephoned me Sunday, March 22, 1992,
and convinced me to fly out to Phoenix the following Wednesday,
March 25.   Which I did.  Mike Darwin flew out to Phoenix at the
same time for a tour, and has mentioned that trip in his posting. 
I was indeed shocked to discover for the first time, while
standing in the Scottsdale building that day, that somebody else
not known to Alcor was even then in escrow (I was told then that
he had only two weeks or so to perform, after which Alcor could
legally bid).  However, I know very well that Dave lobbied
wealthy Alcor members in some fashion before that escrow dead-
line, because a week after my return (April 2) one of these
members (a writer friend of mine) wanted to know my firsthand
opinion of the building, saying that Dave had approached him in-
formally him about money.  Does this count as fund-raising?  And
when exactly was that one page flyer from Dave mailed out? 
Again, this kind of thing (as well as whatever "fund-raising"
activities occurred at the Alcor banquet three days later on
April 5) all happened before the building was indeed bought by
the first bidder, who we had all been assured would NOT perform
on his buy option.  

   Now, as we all know, that first bidder did perform, and his
subsequent galling offer to sell to Alcor immediately at a
handsome turnaround profit to himself was (despite what you may
hear) a pill too bitter for more than one people to swallow at
the time.  I'm sorry to put it this bluntly, but had Dave and
others really done what he seems to be implying they did, and
just shut up about the building until an offer had been formally
tendered to Alcor by the legal owner, things might have been
different, since nobody would then ever have known the phenomenal
prior offering price that we had been "promised" by the Scotts-
dale enthusiasts.  As it was-- well-- capitalism in action at
that close a distance can turn the stomach of even the staunchest
libertarian.

   Now, I do not know when, during all of this, that poor Mr.
Laughlin in particular started to get lobbied by whoever at
Alcor.  But I will hazard that if Laughlin was contacted before
the first bidder performed, as I know for a fact that myself and
many other Alcorians were (wealthy and not), and if he felt half
as silly about the deal later as I did when it got bid up, I may
understand one more reason about why he never went in.  I myself
ended up feeling a bit jerked around when all was said and done
on this deal (somewhere there is a video clip of me standing in
the building and saying something enthusiastic about it), and I
only lost out a day's time and the cheap $100 round trip plane
ticket from LA to Phoenix.  

                                   Steve Harris

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