X-Message-Number: 5574
Date:  Fri, 12 Jan 96 16:24:28 
From: mike <>
Subject: Happy Bedford Day

As of today (Jan. 12), James Bedford, the first person cryonically 
suspended, has been frozen for 29 years. Happy Bedford day to all. (I 
realize that all of you will read this a day late--sorry I didn't get 
it out yesterday! Also, for the record, someone was frozen prior to 
Bedford, in April 1966, but not under controlled conditions, i.e. 
this  a woman who had been embalmed and kept in a 
mortuary refrigerator for several weeks prior to freezing.--And she 
only stayed frozen a few months. Bedford has been continuously frozen the 
whole time, as was verified when he was transferred to a new capsule 
in 1991.) According to the best information I have, currently there are
63 individuals in cryonic suspension at public cryonics 
organizations, all of which are in the U.S., and a few others in 
private hands.

Returning to James Bedford, he was maintained by relatives for many 
years but finally was transferred, in the 1980s, to Alcor where he 
remains to this day. (For this we can thank Mike Darwin for tracking 
down his location and dealing with the relatives, who were not 
cryonicists and were not enthusiastic about having to continue the 
maintenance by themselves. We may have gotten him just in the nick of 
time.)  We are tentatively planning a celebration for next year to 
mark the 30th anniversary of Bedford's freezing--maybe we'll 
see you there!

Mike Perry, Alcor


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