Freezing People Is (Not) Easy: My Adventures in Cryonics

251 Pages·2014·2.62 MB·English

by  Bob Nelson

F P I (N ) E
REEZING EOPLE S OT ASY
My Adventures in Cryonics
B N K B S
OB ELSON WITH ENNETH LY AND ALLY
M , P D
AGAÑA H
Copyright © 2014 by Bob Nelson
The events described in this book are based on the author’s recollections. Dialogue has been re-created and
names and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and
retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher. Requests for
permission should be addressed to Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, PO Box
480, Guilford, CT 06437.

Lyons Press is an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.

All photos courtesy of the author.

Project editor: Meredith Dias Layout: Maggie Peterson
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Nelson, Robert F., 1936-Freezing people is (not) easy : my adventures in cryonics / Bob Nelson, with
Kenneth Bly and Sally Magaña, PhD.
pages cm
eISBN 978-1-4930-0778-3
1. Nelson, Robert F., 1936-2. Cryonics. 3. Undertakers and undertaking—United States. I. Bly, Kenneth. II.
Magaña, Sally. III. Title.
RA624.N45 2014
612'.014467—dc23
2013050225
This book is dedicated to Genevieve De La Poterie, a seven-year-old
French Canadian child, beautiful beyond words. Genevieve was the world’s
first child frozen upon clinical death with the hope of future reanimation. In
1970 her Wilms tumor had no treatment and was usually fatal within three
months. Today no child dies from a Wilms tumor, and it is completely
curable. One week before her cryonic suspension, Genevieve, her mom, my
daughter, and I went to Disneyland in Anaheim, California. On this
occasion Genevieve spoke to me in French, through her mother’s
translation. She asked me, “Mr. Robert, would you please learn to speak
French so I can explain to you directly why I didn’t want to die so young and
leave my beautiful family behind?”
This dedication also extends to Joseph Klockgether, owner of Rennaker
Mortuary and the first California mortician to offer cryonics suspension
services to his clientele. He’s always believed that however a person
chooses to be interred should be honored, be it cremation, burial at sea, or
even placed into orbit like Gene Roddenberry, who is now circling our globe
every ninety minutes. This is simply every person’s right of choice and must
be honored by those entrusted to carry out this final act of interment.
Last, but far from least, are Sandra Stanley and Shelby Dzilsky. This couple
allowed the frozen body of our first cryonics pioneer, Dr. James Bedford, to
be stored in the garage of their Topanga Canyon home in dry ice for ten
days while plans for his long-term encapsulation in liquid nitrogen could be
arranged. Sandra also coauthored with Bob Nelson the book We Froze the
First Man and acted as his attorney during the appeal of one of the
darkest times of his life. Sandra was a powerful force when introducing this
new science of cryonics to humanity in the 1960s, the world and I especially
owe her an enormous amount of gratitude for her contribution in the
struggle to greatly extend the human life span.
“Please, God, don’t take me away from my family.” The one and only time Genevieve spoke
directly to me.
C
ONTENTS
Copyright
Introduction by Kenneth Bly

Chapter 1: Growing Up Bob Nelson
Chapter 2: My Moment of Transformation
Chapter 3: A TV Repairman Takes the Reins
Chapter 4: Man Becomes Immortal
Chapter 5: The Early Pioneers
Chapter 6: The Vault
Chapter 7: Lost Hope
Chapter 8: Newfound Hope
Chapter 9: Second Chances
Chapter 10: The East Coast Cryotorium
Chapter 11: I Needed the Money
Chapter 12: Vacuum and Vanity
Chapter 13: Even with Cryonics, There Is No Escaping Hell
Chapter 14: The End of the Dream
Chapter 15: The Trial
Chapter 16: Appeal and Settlement
Chapter 17: Closed Doors, Opened Windows
Chapter 18: Ted Williams—The Story of One Recent Suspension
Chapter 19: The Conclusion

Epilogue
Afterword by R. C. W. Ettinger
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
It calls for a change in perspective.
I
NTRODUCTION
The Treasure Chest