X-Message-Number: 911
Date: 17 Jun 92 19:22:04 EDT
From: Brenda Peters <>  <-- Actually Courtney Smith
Subject: Public Alcor Board Meeting Minutes

The following is an account of the recent public Alcor Board Meeting. I was 
not there but this account is based on a video tape of the meeting. Instant 
replay anyone? - Courtney Smith
                                   --------

                       Alcor Board Meeting, June 7 1992 

Carlos began by providing details of the suspension of Michael Friedman that 
was done on Tuesday, June 2nd. After he had summarized the facts, Mike Darwin 
described visiting the coroner's office and claiming Friedman's remains, 
including the brain, which had been removed but was still relatively intact. 
The pathologist had been urged to keep the brain and body cool, but had not 
complied. Consequently, the brain and body had deteriorated at room 
temperature for more than 24 hours. 

Friedman's body was in a state of secondary flacidity. Mike explained that 
muscles store energy based on how much they are used and how big they are. 
When muscles run out of energy, they lock up and get hard, resulting in rigor 
mortis. In general terms this proceeds from the top of the body down, After a 
while rigor goes away, not because the muscles recover but because enzymes 
start breaking down proteins. The resulting flacidity is expressed as a 
limpness of the limbs. In Friedman's case, it had proceeded to waist level, 
while the legs were still in rigor. 

Mike stated that action of enzymes breaking down proteins begins sooner in the
brain than in muscles. Consequently, secondary flacidity is a sign that 
chemical reactions have already destroyed a lot of the data in the brain. We 
must therefore assume that Friedman has a very slim chance of subsequently 
being restored to life with his personality and memories intact. Moreover, 
this is almost entirely the result of the 24-hour delay, since Mike was unable
to find any actual bullet holes through the brain. He will be more certain of 
this after checking X-rays that were done at Alcor. 

Mike suggested that Alcor needs to negotiate with the coroner to establish a 
better relationship and protocol in any future cases. Volunteers near the 
morgue were not allowed to put ice on Friedman. 

It was noted that Friedman was wearing an Alcor neck-chain when he was shot. 
His tag was not noticed by police or medical personnel, causing additional 
delay in notifying Alcor. Mike suggested that bracelets are more likely to be 
noticed in that kind of situation, and members should take note of this. 

Jackson Zinn pointed out that authorities are likely to pay some attention to 
a certificate of religious belief, even in homicide cases; such a declaration 
should be carried in one's wallet. Also, he suggested that Alcor should draw 
up legal documents in advance, for use in this kind of case, leaving blank 
spaces for the names and other specific details, so that Alcor is immediately 
ready to petition the coroner. 

                             Alcor Finances 

The accounting system has caught up, "more or less," according to Joe Hovey. 
Statements giving figures for the first quarter of the year were mailed to 
directors on Monday June 1st. Carlos brought a copy with him to the meeting, 
which was available for inspection. No additional copies were available for 
anyone to take away from the meeting. Carlos reported that Alcor has a surplus
in the general fund, and the finances are good. 

                               Mission statement 

Brenda Peters had asked each board member what the mission of Alcor is and 
should be. She received nine different answers. Carlos presented a couple of 
mission statements of his own, which were circulated. Hugh Hixon suggested 
that the primary mission of Alcor was to protect its patients, and he listed 
additional goals. There was very little discussion on this topic. 

                             Saul Kent's complaint 

Saul had asked to add an item to the agenda, which was dealt with at this 
point. Saul felt that communication between management and membership was 
unacceptably bad, partly because of rapid membership growth and the increasing
activity of regional chapters. He pointed out that there has been a lot of 
activity in Southern California, including political infighting, which most of
the membership is unaware of [ message #0014 - KQB ]. Could Cryonics Magazine
report on this activity, including a fair description of its intensity? 

Mike Darwin agreed that a more honest accounting of events was desirable. 
Carlos pledged to put the agenda of each meeting on Cryonet, with a summary of
any consequent action or resolution. Ralph Whelan sugested that the complete 
minutes of each meeting should be available via email. This was agreed, though
it will not be done till the next board meeting. Ralph also said that he will 
publish details of how to log on to Cryonet. 

Mike Darwin listed some things that he would have liked to see published in 
Cryonics magazine; Ralph said he thought they weren't appropriate, but at the 
same time he emphasized that he is open to contributions and suggestions. 

Thomas Donaldson suggested a separate magazine or newsletter that would not be
bound by the same editorial constraints as Cryonics Magazine. No one picked up
this proposal. Ralph pledged that he would have controversy and disclosure 
foremost in his mind in future, and emphasized that no one is writing this 
kind of material for him. In particular, he has received nothing from Mike 
Darwin. Mike said this was because he felt certain that the material would not
be published if he did send it in, based on his prior experience. 

Carlos mentioned a suggestion to publish a profile of each director of Alcor 
with their phone numbers attached, so that members would feel closer to the 
board. Ralph agreed. Ralph also said he would publish a summary of pertinent 
statistics each month, including basic financial data. 

                              The Arizona Building Report 

Carlos said there had been a "surprising and gratifying amount of enthusiasm 
from a broad cross-section of members" re: the final proposal to buy the new 
building in Phoenix. About 60 people had sent money or pledges. But the total,
slightly under $200,000, had not been enough. The real-estate deal included a 
time limit, which had almost expired. Consequently, the bid to purchase the 
building has failed. 

Carlos said that he had been severely criticized for his handling of the 
search for a new building, and he asked the meeting for guidance as to how it 
should be done in future. Mike Darwin said it was essential to distinguish 
between the process of looking for a building, and the process of buying it. 
He said that a detailed prospectus, such as he prepared when the current 
building was bought, was essential, listing all the problems as well as all 
the potential advantages. Hard-sell promotional material was of little use to 
a membership which was intelligent and likely to feel insulted by such 
material. 

Brenda Peters circulated a memo from Courtney Smith expressing anger that 
Carlos had made a seemingly unilateral decision to change strategy re the 
Phoenix building, so that Alcor would buy it instead of an independent group. 
Courtney's memo was also concerned that if members were encouraged to pledge 
their suspension money toward the purchase price of the building, in effect 
the patient care fund would be secured via real estate, which was contrary to 
the fundamental principles of Alcor. Carlos said he was amazed that anyone 
would object to him accepting the offer of a donation of money to buy a 
building, since the offer had been made freely and without strings attached. 

Mike Darwin accused Carlos of acting on his own, on the assumption that he 
could check with the other directors and/or the members at a later date and 
ask "Is this okay?" Dave Pizer said he agreed with Mike, and accepted his 
share of criticisms. However, Dave said there were good reasons for Alcor 
buying the building, rather than having a separate partnership (such as 
Symbex) buying it. According to Laughlin's attorney, if a Symbex member died 
and his shares were inherited by a person hostile to cryonics, that person 
could try to force Alcor to pay back rent up to market level. Mike Darwin then
expressed outrage that members of the board were accepting legal advice from 
other people's attorneys. 

Keith Henson said that "someone" had convinced Carlos "and some other people" 
that changes in the law made the Symbex deal less attractive. Carlos said that
he had decided it was so attractive to buy the building, he should explore the
possibility for doing so without committing himself; and he would have had 
ample time afterward to see if anyone objected. 

Paul Genteman said there was never a formal vote to buy the building, but Dave
Pizer was authorized to "pursue" the building. Paul added that no one had 
specifically authorized Carlos to alter the mode in which the building would 
have been bought. 

                                   Saboteurs 

Carlos asked the meeting to consider how best to deal with members who 
actively work against Alcor. He said that this had never happened before, but 
had occurred in the case of a letter which Michael Paulle, the head of the 
Fund-Raising Committee, had sent to a potential investor in the Phoenix 
building, discouraging the investor from contributing money. 

Prior to the board meeting, a rumor had circulated that Paulle would be ousted
from Alcor. Some members who heard these rumors had protested that this 
constituted suppression of free speech. 

Brenda objected that it was wrong to discuss Michael Paulle in his absence, 
and demanded that the discussion be held over to the next meeting. Carlos 
agreed, but then tried to discuss the matter in general terms. He was unable 
to do so without talking about Michael Paulle, which everyone had agreed not 
to do. He seemed to despair of the task, but Keith Henson still wanted to deal
with it, and said it was very necessary to find a strategy for dealing with 
such "loose cannons." 

Ultimately, a motion was made and passed to deactivate the fund-raising 
committee for one month, thus depriving Michael Paulle of his Alcor title 
while maintaining his membership and his freedom of speech. The matter will be
dealt with at the next board meeting, presumably with Michael Paulle's 
participation. 

                                   Security 
               
Carlos said that the local-area network which has been installed at Alcor 
endangers confidentiality of patient records. There was a discussion of 
passwords, logout procedures, and how best to prevent unauthorized deletions 
or duplications of data. 

Brenda complained that she had been attempting to bring members into contact 
with each other, but when she asked for an up-to-date membership list for the 
north-east, she was given various excuses and never received the list. After 
six weeks, she spoke to Joe Hovey, who admitted that Carlos had told him not 
to send the list to Brenda. Brenda asked Carlos if he had lost trust and 
confidence in her. With reluctance, Carlos admitted he had lost some 
confidence. She said she had lost a lot of confidence in him too. Joe Hovey 
said that this is what happens when factionism gets out of hand. Brenda had 
previously circulated a four-page list of grievances against Carlos, so her 
feelings did not come as a surprise. 

Mike Darwin suggested that access to the full mailing list should be automatic
for any board member; but using it should be approved by the full board. Max 
More pointed out that nonprofit corporations are by law compelled to allow 
board members to inspect and copy membership records. It was resolved that the
CEO can decide whether a board member can use names and addresses for a 
specific application; and if permission is denied, the member can complain to 
the full board. 

                           Biopreservation Contract 

Carlos reported that a contract has been signed with Biopreservation (Mike 
Darwin's company) to perform suspensions and provide education. Training 
courses will be held soon after Labor Day weekend. Alcor will pay for people 
to attend the course, and will try to find accommodation for them. Dave Pizer 
offered free lodging if the course is held off-season. Carlos was authorized 
by the board to offer matching funds up to $250 for people who want to take 
the training courses but have insufficient funds to pay their air fares. 

                               Cryovita Contract 

Paul Wakfer said he now owns a lease on a facility under the business name PW 
Biomedical Services. Mike Darwin's sole-ownership company, Biopreservation, 
rents space at the facility from PW Services. Paul hopes to have other tenants
doing suspended animation research. Mike Darwin said he wants Cryovita to be 
an R&D company, getting patents ultimately. His own company however would 
primarily provide suspension services, doing body washout of dogs in 
connection with this. 

After several objections and suggested amendments from Dave Pizer, the 
contract between Cryovita and Alcor was agreed. It is basically the same as 
the old contract, and has been modified primarily to take account of changes 
that occurred as a result of the death of Jerry Leaf. 

                                Other Business 

Joe Hovey said Alcor should acquire its own equipment and its own disposables 
to do suspensions, so it would no longer depend on Cryovita. Cathy Leaf 
complained that as a result of the Dora Kent case, she and Jerry had 
experienced damages of about $200,000, including loss of his job, his 
insurance, and his retirement fund. She says at the time, she could have sued 
Alcor but didn't. She did ask for a $17,000 settlement, which she was happy 
with then. Now, however, she said that if Alcor is going to "waste money" 
buying a duplicate set of suspension equipment, she should receive additional 
compensation first. 

Carlos told her that Alcor doesn't have enough money to give her any, but if 
Alcor ever does have more money, she will be paid something. Dave Pizer 
suggested that a committee should be formed to discuss what it would take to 
replace the equipment and satisfy Cathy. Carlos rejected this idea and said he
himself will look into the matter of upgrading suspension capabilities. If he 
comes up with a plan, he will present it to the board. Cathy Leaf then 
reiterated her complaint. 

Paul Wakfer said that spending money on extra equipment would be outrageous 
and ridiculous. Mike Darwin said there's been hysteria about the supposed 
motives of Paul Wakfer, the new president of Cryovita. Mike added that he has 
cleaned out a lot of the local suppliers of surplus or second-hand surgical 
instruments. The cheap equipment has all gone. So Alcor would have a hard time
buying new suspension equipment for a reasonable sum, at least during the next
year or so. 

                               Financial Advice 

Eric Klien circulated a memo stating that Alcor had earned more than $1,000 
additional interest by the time of the meeting, assuming that recommendations 
from Eric and his two fellow committee members had been followed, re: 
investing money. Eric asked if, in fact, his recommendations had been 
followed, and if so, when. Joe said it had been taken care of "in June." Eric 
was dismayed that so much time had been allowed to elapse. Carlos then 
contradicted this but said he wasn't sure of the exact date when the 
investments had been made. 

Eric also asked for more financial information to be readily and publicly 
available, such as the amount of funding in Patient Care. 

                            The Building Next Door 

Charles Platt asked if it was true that there was a vacant building next door 
to Alcor, which could easily be used for expansion. Carlos said that the 
building is not vacant, but the tenant is on a month-to-month basis, and the 
building is for sale at $265,000. However, Carlos felt that the building would
only satisfy the problem of insufficient space. It would not address any of 
the other issues. Personally, he was strongly opposed to the idea of expanding
into the building. 

There was no real discussion of the building, though Dave Pizer 
seemed interested in pursuing it, and suggested that the money which had been 
pledged for the Phoenix project could be put toward the building next door. 

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