Kulakovich Family
Bret, Sarah, Molly and Ada
Members since 2005
By Deborah Johnson
A round 9:45 p.m. on a clear summer
evening near Cape Cod, Massachusetts,
3-year old Molly takes her dad’s hand and
walks out into the yard. They stand together,
gazing up at the night sky. A few minutes later,
a bright dot in the sky is spotted. Molly’s dad
points to it and, for the first time, Molly sees
the International Space Station as it silently
glides overhead in its orbit above Earth.
Molly also likes to help her dad work on
their 7-foot satellite dish so they can watch
NASA channels, Russian channels and even
Arabic channels. And, on the night when
Bret & Sarah, May 2005 the rain and temperature conditions are just
right, they quietly walk down their country
road together, so they can watch the salaman-
ders awaken from their winter rest, cross the
road and move off toward their springtime
activities.
This is the kind of rich and rewarding
life the Kulakovich’s are looking forward to
for many, many, many more years. That’s why
all the Kulakovich’s—Bret, his wife Sarah, 3-
year old Molly, and 1-year old Ada—joined
Alcor.
“Cryonics brings more to life than first
meets the eye,” says Sarah. “I view it as a part
of the journey. It makes me feel more con-
nected to history and the whole, long journey
of man.”
Being connected to history comes natu-
rally to Sarah, who was born in a tiny hamlet
in Bourton, Wiltshire, England. Their hamlet
had no store or post office and everyone lived
off the land. Her grandmother, who will
4 Cryonics/Summer 2006
Bret Kulakovich in his office.
be 100 years old in January, was a lacemaker.
Growing up, history was in every nook and
cranny of the home her family has lived in for
five generations. Sarah says fondly, “Our home
was like a moment in history and it was all
around me everyday.”
As an artist and graphic designer, she carries
that deep sense of mankind’s history into her
work. “This non-verbal communication keeps
me in tune with the human spirit,” she says.
Bret, who co-founded bonfireproductions.com
with Sarah, shares her love of visual arts, and an
interest to move toward more scientific, grant-
driven work.
With a BFA in Photographic and Elec-
tronic Imaging from the University of Mas-
sachusetts at Dartmouth, he has applied his
multimedia skills to educational projects, such
as the National Science Foundation’s Simula-
tions for Calculus Learning (SimCalc), and
works with faculty at a Boston liberal arts
college to realize media projects for education.
His website, www.bretorium.com, showcases
his many talents. Bret is currently completing
his masters in Media Production at Emerson
College.
The couple’s artistic and insightful dis-
positions are reflected in their decision to join
Alcor. Sarah says thoughtfully, “Our Alcor
membership has shifted time for me and added
an entirely new dimension. I may be able to
extend time to do new things, like take writing
courses and go back and get an entirely differ-
ent college degree.”
www.alcor.org
 Sarah & Bret,
wedding photo, May 2000.
Bret, her husband of 6 years, shares her
enthusiasm for extended life, saying, “I would
enjoy seeing some measure of space exploration
achieved. And exploration of the bottoms of the
ocean.” He continues, “I think we are poised
to reach a new level of understanding in physics
and the brain. It would be good to actually see
that.”
This idea of more time, plus an optimistic
view for the future are part of the reason they
chose to include Molly and Ada in their plans
for cryopreservation. “We believe this is a gift to
them,” says Sarah in her peaceful, soft-spoken
manner. “And if they want to change their
minds later on, that’s fine.”
Sarah’s first exposure to cryonics was
through Bret, but, interestingly, she already had
a family connection. Her father was a student
of Marvin Minsky. Dr. Minsky was one of the
pioneers of artificial intelligence and is a scien-
tific advisor to Alcor. When Bret first talked to
www.alcor.org
her about cryonics, she says, “It was instantly
obvious to me that it would work and it had
validity.” Since then, she has supplemented
that first grasp of the concept with more
information and study.
Bret’s connection to cryonics was much
earlier. He read science fiction as a young boy,
and then in the early 1990’s, he discovered
extropy (the theory that cultural and tech-
nological development will expand indefi-
nitely and in an orderly, progressive manner
throughout the universe).
During his college years at the Univer-
sity of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, where he
was studying design and astrophysics, he hap-
pened across a magazine with an article about
Alcor. “I had heard about cryonics, but this
was the first time I realized someone was actu-
ally doing it and they (Alcor) had patients at
their facility.”
“I like people saying things are possible,”
left to right: Bret and daughter Molly; Ada and Molly enjoy a day at home; Sarah and daughter Ada
Cryonics/Summer 2006
Bret remarks. “Maybe it will work and maybe it
won’t, but it is possible. And it’s more and more
probable as time goes on.” For those who doubt
it could ever work, Bret says that time is on his
side. “If there’s only a 1 percent chance of cry-
onics working today, then at some time in the
future it will be 2 percent. And so on.”
It’s one of the concepts Bret introduces when
he talks to others about cryonics. “I don’t want
to be seen as eccentric or extravagant. I don’t
evangelize,” he notes. So, he crafts his thoughts
and insights about cryonics to meet the interests
and needs of the people with whom he speaks.
Sarah, who is passionate but reserved, says, “So
many people have only heard about the surface
of cryonics and they miss the richness.” It is this
thoughtful and respectful approach to others that
is helping steadily spread the word about cryon-
ics and Alcor.
You can contact Bret and Sarah Kulakovich
at: kulakovich_family@bonfireproductions.com.
■
5
 Rafal Smigrodzki, M.D., Ph.D.
Member since 2002
By Deborah Johnson
F rom the time he was nine years old, Rafal
Smigrodzki was interested in cryonics. As
a young boy growing up in southern Poland,
his imagination was captured by a Polish sci-
ence fiction story. Translated as The Thresh-
old of Immortality, it tells of a writer who
has been “uploaded” into a pseudo biologi-
cal substrate. Although this particular story
ended badly—with superstitious peasants
burning down the lab—Rafal knew then that
science could have answers to living beyond
the expected number of years.
“By the time I first learned what cryon-
ics was and heard the urban legends of Walt
Disney being frozen, I was already hooked,”
says Rafal.
Raised in the industrial town of Piekary
Slaskie (pop. 70,000), he was always interest-
ed in science, possibly inheriting it from his
father, who was a doctor. “It was an enduring
interest of mine,” says Rafal. “For me it is a
way of thinking.”
That way of thinking eventually led Ra-
fal to the United States, where he is both a
practicing clinician in neurology and the chief
clinical officer for a private biotech company.
6 Cryonics/Summer 2006
Karen, Nymeria and Rafal Smigrodzki
As a physician he enjoys working directly with
patients. “I like having a direct impact on peo-
ple. They are grateful if you do something good
for them.”
Rafal’s real passion, however, is the work
he does in the solitude of the lab, focusing on
the development of an effective treatment for
diseases caused by damage to mitochondrial
DNA. Mitochondria are the power plants of
the cell and contain a part the body’s genetic
material. “When mitochondrial DNA is cor-
rupted, it may produce diseases whose symp-
toms include epilepsy, diabetes, loss of memory
and early death. These are quite horrible dis-
eases and right now are untreatable,” comments
Rafal.
His work focuses on developing methods
of intracellular delivery of mitochondrial DNA
for therapeutic purposes. His voice exudes pas-
sion as he talks about the possibilities of the
research. “It’s the most exciting thing you can
imagine.”
In fact, he is so committed to the outcome
that for the first two years he devoted his time
to the company with no compensation. Fortu-
nately, a recent grant from the National Insti-
www.alcor.org
 Smigrodzkis’ Virginia home
tutes of Health will provide a salary along with
funds for the research.
It is only natural that Rafal would be in-
volved in leading-edge research. His list of cre-
dentials includes: a medical degree in Poland,
an M.D.- Ph.D. from Heidelberg University in
Germany, a post-doctoral fellowship in the De-
partment of Neurobiology at the University of
Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, a neu-
rology residency at the University of Pittsburg
Medical Center, and a movement disorders fel-
lowship at the University of Virginia in Charlot-
tesville.
Rafal’s keenness for mitochondrial DNA
research merges nicely with his long-held inter-
est in extending his life. “If we can treat mito-
chondrial disease, then we can also address the
mitochondrial aspects of aging, of the decaying
of cells,” he remarks.
www.alcor.org
His hope is that in 15 years, the research
he is involved in will have an impact on the
common diseases of aging and be beneficial to
many people. He also hopes to “surf the wave
of progress,” where science and medicine are
continually coming up with treatments for
aging and therefore extending life spans out
in front of him.
But according to Rafal, if the progress
is not fast enough, then a cryopreservation
through Alcor is his “Plan B.” He is realistic
in his outlook and says it is smart to “hope for
the best and prepare for the worst.”
Either way, he sees human life as having
no limits. Rafal believes those who would be Karen and daughter Nymeria
inclined to reverse a cryopreservation and re-
vive him would be honest and caring people. forward to spending time with my family right
He assumes that by the time his cryopreserva- now,” he says.
tion is reversed, science would have conquered In his rare spare time, Rafal enjoys computer
aging and he would have the opportunity to games like “World of Warcraft,” which is a multi-
be restored to health and youth. player online game with 5 million players. As a
When asked what he would do, waking counterpoint to intellectual endeavors, he likes
up in the future, he is quick to reply, “Imagine working with his hands. Plans for home renova-
waking up, surrounded by nice people, and tions include new windows, a carport and stone
you’re young and healthy and, through a per- facing on the foundation of their home in Vir-
petual trust I hope to be able to establish I ginia.
would have sufficient financial means.” With Like most Alcor members, Rafal hopes to
laughter in his voice he adds, “I would find share his limitless future with his family. He and
something to do.” his wife, Karen, have discussed membership for
Rafal is a pioneer for the future but, for the entire family. “I think signing up with Alcor
today, he is happy with a pretty normal ex- is the reasonable thing to do for everyone who
istence at home. He is married with a new values life. It is based on sound scientific prin-
daughter, Nymeria, with whom he hasn’t had ciples and it is based on hope,” he says. “I’m op-
much time, due to his work. “I don’t know timistic; I have faith in the future.”
too much about being a dad, since I had to be You can contact Rafal Smigrodzki at:
away from home temporarily during the last rafal@smigrodzki.org. ■
year doing clinical work. I am really looking
Rafal and dogs Bart and Azor
Cryonics/Summer 2006 7
 Anthony Waller
Member since 2003
By Deborah Johnson
Anthony in front of the rocket that would carry
Dennis Tito into the history books as the first space
tourist. April 26th 2001, Baikonur, Kazakhstan
8 Cryonics/Summer 2006
T here aren’t too many people who would
think of Beirut fondly for its golf courses
and beaches. But then there aren’t too many
people who grew up in the Middle East, went
to boarding school in England, have received
a personal phone call from Steven Spielberg,
and call Monaco home.
Anthony Waller is—to say the least—an
interesting and unconventional person. “I am
definitely British for many generations back,”
says Anthony in his proper British accent.
“But 80 percent of my life I’ve lived outside
of England, including Beirut; Kuwait; Ger-
many; Venice Beach, California; Holland;
and South Africa. For the past 17 years I’ve
lived in Monaco.”
Anthony considers himself a citizen of
the world, rather than just of England. Af-
ter many years of living abroad, he feels he
has a different view of the world than many
people. “I feel like the whole world belongs
to me, not just one country, and if everybody
felt like that, we would all be richer.” Because
he understands first-hand what it’s like to be
the foreigner, he is extremely tolerant of all
races and cultures. “The only thing I can’t tol-
erate, is intolerance itself ”. He adds: “I dislike
borders, yet I like differences.”
Anthony overlooking his home town of Monaco
It is probably this unconventional upbring-
ing, along with an early passion for filmmaking
that eventually led him full speed into his career
as a writer and director. Among Anthony’s cred-
its are “An American Werewolf in Paris,” starring
Tom Everett Scott, and “The Guilty,” starring
Bill Pullman and “Mute Witness,” with a guest
appearance by Sir Alec Guinness. His current
project is in production in Namibia and Hun-
gary, starring Adrian Paul (of the “Highlander”
series), Melissa George, and Nick Nolte.
At age 11, Anthony knew he wanted to
make movies. His first effort was a 3-minute
cartoon that took him 10 months to create.
“I was tenacious, even then,” he comments.
“Imagine an 11-year old boy working on some-
thing for 10 months.” His novice movie mak-
ing continued in boarding school in England.
His first break came from a classmate’s fa-
ther, renowned producer David Puttnam. At a
school event, Lord Puttnam saw one of Antho-
ny’s films and was captivated by its quality. “He
came up to me and told me that he would be
proud to have made that film. It wasn’t until
later that I learned he was a famous producer,
soon to become head of Columbia Pictures.”
Lord Puttnam was also chairman of the
National Film School and suggested that An-
thony attend—as the youngest student ever.
www.alcor.org
 Anthony shooting in Munich’s Arriflex
studios, 1987
During his studies there, he was picked by John
Schlesinger to receive the Shakespeare Scholar-
ship in 1981 for a further year of study at the
Munich Film School in Germany. There he
went on to work as a celebrated editor of TV
movies and commercials.
But his heart was in directing and he was
determined to make it happen. So, he saved up
enough money to finance the production of
two music videos for two unknown bands (who
both subsequently received record contracts).
Anthony exploded onto the scene and became
one of the most sought-after directors of com-
mercials in Germany.
In 1984, he began realizing his goal of
working in feature films by financing, writing,
producing and directing “Mute Witness”, about
a young, mute make-up artist who witnesses
the making of a “snuff movie”. “I met Sir Alec
Guinness one evening in Hamburg, Germany,
and somehow talked him into a brief cameo role
in this film and he agreed to shoot the scene the
Anthony & Sir Alec Guinness
www.alcor.org
next day before his return flight to the UK,”
says Anthony remembering that pivotal mo-
ment. “I didn’t have a crew or even the script,
and didn’t even live in Hamburg myself, but
somehow overnight I pulled it together and
we filmed with Sir Alec the next morning.”
Although it took eight years before An-
thony had saved up enough to resume shoot-
ing—subsequently setting the story in Rus-
sia—he says it paid off—and Sir Alec related
the experience in his memoirs, “Diary of a Re-
tired Actor,” after the movie was released. In-
terest from Hollywood immediately followed.
“I didn’t believe it at first when I heard ‘Steven
Spielberg is on the line.’ It’s what every first-
time director in the world yearns to hear.”
Two years later, he was directing “An
American Werewolf in Paris.” And three years
after that “The Guilty” with Bill Pullman. Al-
though he was a hot property at that point,
Anthony wasn’t interested in settling for just
anything that came along. “I had all kinds of
offers to do slasher and gore films, but frankly
I didn’t want to get pigeon-holed.”
So, the Hollywood roller-coaster ride
cooled down. But his youthful tenacity con-
tinued to serve him well. The next five years
he spent developing movies that are close to
his heart, including a dramatization of the
space race of the 60’s told from the Russian
perspective. Anthony describes his current
film “Nine Miles Down” as a spine-chilling
journey into the psyche of a man struggling
to escape his tortured past. He comments, “It
pits science versus superstition, where, for a
change, the popular yet irrational demonizing
of science is shown to have tragic consequenc-
es.” For a sneak preview on what to expect,
one can view the project’s website at: www.
ninemilesdown.com
Cryonics/Summer 2006
It’s really not much of a stretch to imagine
that someone with Anthony’s expanded world-
view would find the idea of cryonics instantly
appealing. In 2002, an ex-girlfriend who was
making a TV documentary on cryonics took
him to the Alcor conference in Newport Beach.
“Amongst others, I met and listened to Ray Kurz-
weil and Greg Fahy and was completely fascinat-
ed.” He started the membership process right
away and completed it the following year. In his
future movie projects he would like to find ways
of incorporating his newfound interests in cryon-
ics and related subjects into his movies in a more
positive light than they are currently treated in
mainstream cinema.
“I see Alcor and cryonics as a last resort; a
‘life-boat’ that I hope I will never have to need.”
Anthony comments, “I want to stay alive and
healthy for as long as possible.” Like many cry-
onicists, he’s hoping that science and medicine
will solve the challenges of aging while he’s still
vital, making cryopreservation unnecessary.
Right now, he wants to live life to the full-
est. “There really is no point in living if you’re
only going to vegetate in front of the TV,” says
Anthony. As he looks into the future, he hopes to
see the further exploration of outer space as well
as the oceans on earth. “There’s so much possible
in the future. I’d like to experience the interface
between the human brain and computer technol-
ogy,” he says. “Imagine if we could link telepathi-
cally with something like a bird and actually ex-
perience flight from the bird’s perspective.”
With Anthony’s creative drive, this may be
his next movie idea and, with a little luck, a part
of the future for all of us.
You can contact Anthony Waller at
walleranthony@mac.com. ■
9
Member Profile: Chana de Wolf
By Deborah Johnson

“I t all comes down to providing patients

with the best cryopreservation possi-
ble,” says Chana de Wolf, Alcor’s research
associate since September 2006, who joined
as a member of the organization in February
2007. Chana is responsible for creating the
new cardiopulmonary bypass lab at Alcor, and
she appears to be the right person at the right
time. Her undergraduate, graduate and doc-
toral work has honed her research skills.
Her journey from the small East Texas
town of Athens to Alcor was an interesting
spiral, to say the least. In 1994, as young as
age 14, her love of science was apparent.
After her family moved from Athens to Waco,
she was placed into her high school’s gifted
and talented science program. Chana speaks
Photo by Murray Ballard.

of it fondly and says she relished the experi-

ence. “My teacher encouraged my explo-
ration of neuroscience in particular,” she
recalls. At only 14-years-old, she already had
a burgeoning interest in the brain, which was
nurtured through a long-term research project
for class.
The challenges of the project led her to
the then-neophyte Internet. That’s where
Chana managed to find a primitive bulletin
board system and connect with a scientist
who would become her mentor over the fol-
lowing years. “He was working on a new clin-
ical concept; penetrating the blood-brain bar-
rier via the olfactory route with agents that
could help prevent neurodegeneration,” com-
ments Chana. “He” turned out to be William
H. Frey II, the co-founder and director of the
St. Paul-Ramsey Alzheimer’s Research Center.
Not surprisingly, Chana’s 10th grade science
project – on monitoring the effectiveness of
intranasal administration of horseradish per-
oxidase (HRP) – won first prize.

8 Cryonics/Second Quarter 2007 www.alcor.org

 The following year Chana was admitted By 2003 she had earned her master of
to the Texas Academy of Mathematics and science in cognition and neuroscience from
Science (TAMS), a prestigious early-entrance the University of Texas at Dallas, where she
residential college program for advanced worked in the Neurophysiology of Aging and
math and science students. There, she was Memory laboratory. There, she performed
able to connect with other students like her- single-cell electrophysiology of brain slices,
self and earn college credit for her advanced with a specific interest in determining how
studies. insulin receptors affect neuronal excitability in
But her experience at TAMS was short- the hippocampus, a structure important for
lived. After only a year, Chana left Texas and the consolidation of memories. Chana
was able to use her college credit to gain remarks, “I’m glad I took a sort of circuitous
admittance to Temple University in Philadel- route. I have learned a lot and feel that I have
phia. Upon completion of her junior year at a good background to pursue my interests
Temple, she returned to Texas to finish up her and to work here at Alcor.”
bachelor of science at the University of Chana balances her keen interest in sci-
North Texas, in Denton. ence with lighter endeavors, like flying kites.
“In the late 1990s universities knew She especially enjoys power-kiting and loves
about neuroscience – it was the ‘Decade of visiting windy beaches and flying out over the
the Brain’ – but there weren’t many programs water. And she’s also quite enamored of her
focused on it yet,” Chana comments. So she dogs – Darwin and Monkey. Darwin is a 5-
created her own curriculum. In 2001, she year-old Boston terrier and Monkey is a 3-
received her bachelor of science in experi- year-old pit bull. Chana and Aschwin de Wolf wed in an out-
Chana will now be sharing door ceremony on April 7, 2007.
her time with her new hus-
band, Aschwin de Wolf. They involved in cryonics as possible,” she says.
were married on April 7, “Being a member is the best way to remind
2007. Aschwin, previously an myself of the personal aspect of cryonics –
employee of Suspended Ani- that every other member and patient is a per-
mation, Inc., pulled up stakes son who wants the same thing I do – and to
in Florida and has joined convey that involvement to others.”
Chana, Darwin and Monkey Today, she is working toward creating a
in their home in Phoenix. sustainable research lab at Alcor. ”I want to
“Since we share a love of cry- establish a framework where basic, cryonics-
onics and met at the Alcor relevant research is performed at Alcor,”
conference, it’s only fitting Chana comments. Alcor’s research and devel-
that we brought an element of opment department is striving to increase vis-
that to our wedding,” Chana ibility and credibility. Chana knows from her
says. “David Pizer served as academic background that it’s imperative to
our officiant and Steve Van publish research findings in peer-reviewed
Chana with her poster presentation at the Society for Neuro- Sickle made liquid nitrogen publications. She hopes that after the car-
science conference in 2005. ice cream for all our guests at diopulmonary bypass lab is established, it will
the ceremony.” yield publishable results.
mental psychology with a minor in biology Chana first discovered cryonics and “I am so excited to be able to bring my
and honors thesis in cognitive neuroscience Alcor through her long-standing dedication to expertise in different fields to the research lab
(“Detection of symmetry in depth: Effects of protecting the right to control one’s own at Alcor,” she says. “There’s always room for
increasing skew angle”). “Experimental psy- body. While she has an interest in body mod- improvement.” 
chology was fascinating and really gave me a ification in general, her academic bent lead
good background in experimental design, but her to study the capabilities of technology to You can reach Chana at: chana@alcor.org
ultimately I found the focus on cognition, improve the quality of human life.
with little regard for biology or neuroanato- “Then I looked up Alcor,” Chana
my, too abstract for my tastes,” Chana remarks. “And I became interested in Alcor ___________________________________
explains. “Fortunately, by the time I was ready right away.” It didn’t take long for her to pur-
for graduate school, neuroscience programs sue membership with Alcor. “I think it is Email us if you’re interested in being profiled
were becoming commonplace.” important for a researcher in the field to be as for Cryonics magazine: info@alcor.org

www.alcor.org Cryonics/Second Quarter 2007 9

Member Profile:
Maria Entraigues
and Ruy Folguera
By Chana de Wolf
A s a child, Maria Entraigues would fly
with her parents to Spain each year to
visit her family. While there, she especially
liked watching performances by her uncle, a
well-known Spanish singer. Maria fondly
recalls attending his concerts, which nour-
ished her budding desire to become a per-
former herself. “My uncle encouraged me
early on,” she says. Later in life, as lead singer
for the house band at the Sheraton Hotel in
Buenos Aires, Argentina, Maria was already
beginning to live her dream. But that dream
got a little bigger in 1991 when band audi-
tions were held and she met Ruy Folguera, a
talented pianist who easily passed the trial.
Maria and Ruy began dating shortly
thereafter, brought together by their love for
music. Ruy is the progeny of a long line of
mathematicians and engineers, but he was
always most interested in music and film and
sought to be a composer. He was especially
enamored with the combination of music and
film, and remembers recording movie music
on tape as a young boy. Encouraged and
inspired by one another, Maria and Ruy both
applied for and received scholarships to
attend Berklee College of Music in Boston,
where they lived from 1992 until 1995. Maria
is now a degreed voice performer, while Ruy
earned degrees in commercial arranging and
film scoring, which refers to writing the back-
ground music for a movie or other produc-
tion.
Since moving to their current residence
in Los Angeles, California, in 1995, Maria and
Ruy have continued to combine their talents
in such a way that allows them to work
together on many creative projects. Some-
times Maria is even able to keep up her acting
chops with roles in movies such as the Woody
Allen film Picking Up the Pieces, which Ruy
scored. Most recently, Ruy did the electronic
music and orchestrations for Rush Hour 3,
while Maria worked as music direction assis-
tant.
10 Cryonics/Fourth Quarter 2007
Maria at a music video shoot for the end
titles song she co-wrote with Ruy called
“Free Our Love” for the film “The Magnificent
Ambersons,” which Ruy scored.
As part of their careers as performers,
they often get to travel when a director asks
them to compose the music while a film is
being shot. Their next project, in which Maria
has acting and singing roles, takes them to
Romania to work on the movie Dare To Love
Me, a musical directed by famous director
Alfonso Arau about the life of Carlos Gardel.
“We work on movies together a lot,” says
Maria. “We’re lucky that way.” With a studio
in their L.A. home and an endless supply of
Hollywood productions seeking soundtracks,
it may seem like their luck will never run out.
But Maria knows better. “Since I was a
child I have been obsessed with the fact that
we have to age, deteriorate, and die and that
there’s still no way out of it.” This obsession
drove her to zealously research anti-aging sub-
jects in her spare time. “I always have my lit-
tle laptop with me,” she says. “I keep reading
as much as I can on subjects related to life
extension, medicine, biology, genetics, tran-
shumanism, and bio-nanotechnology. I think
I first read about Alcor ten years ago, but
somehow I thought it was only for very
wealthy people and kind of a long shot any-
way.”
Then, around three years ago, Maria
began reading about Dr. Aubrey de Grey and
www.alcor.org

Maria and Ruy at the premiere of the movie
“Zapata.” Ruy scored the music for the
movie and Maria sang and co-wrote
songs for the soundtrack.
his plan for defeating aging called Strategies
for Engineered Negligible Senescence
(SENS). Realizing that she might be of help
in communicating his ideas, she offered her
services as a Spanish translator for his web-
site. While attending Dr. de Grey’s second
SENS conference in Cambridge in 2005,
Maria and Ruy met Dr. de Grey in person. “It
was there, while at dinner, he passionately
explained to me why I should become an
Maria and Ruy are licensed pilots and are
shown here flying their personal airplanes.
www.alcor.org
Alcor member,” Maria
recalls. “I had no doubt
then.”
As a next step,
Maria and Ruy attended
the 2006 Alcor confer-
ence in Scottsdale, Ari-
zona. Having had such a
positive experience at
SENS, Maria was already
convinced that she
should sign up with
Alcor. Ruy was “hooked”
on the idea, but still
needed to hear more
about it. “Going to the
conference was perfect,” Maria in the Alcor patient care bay during her tour
Maria recalls. “We met of the facility at the 6th Alcor conference
many members there
and had the chance to
ask them questions. The presentations were ence, enabling her to work on humanity’s
very educational, and the tour of the [Alcor] biggest problems with her own hands.
facility was impressive. In a way we were able “Becoming an Alcor member has, in a way,
to see that this is real, and we left the confer- put me at ease in the sense that I am doing my
ence really believing in it.” part towards helping something I really
But that doesn’t mean they are totally believe in,” she reflects. “I feel special to be
convinced that one day cryopreserved peo- part of an exclusive group of pioneers trying
ple will be repaired to a healthy state. to achieve probably the biggest milestone in
“Nobody can guarantee that yet, but we the history of humanity.” 
really believe in the project, and we under-
stand that this is an option we have now. In Contact these members:
reality, it is the only option we have now, Maria Entraigues: mariamaria@pacbell.net
and even though the whole concept sounds Ruy Folguera: ruyfolguera@mac.com
farfetched to most people, it is plausible.”
The more Maria and Ruy informed them-
selves about the cryonics experiment, the
more reasonable it became to them. It was
a mere two months after the Alcor confer-
ence that Maria and Ruy formalized their
memberships with Alcor.
And their adventurous spirits don’t
stop there. Maria, who has fostered a life-
long fascination with astronomy and space
exploration, woke up one morning in the
not too distant past with a strong urge to
leave earth. “I have always wanted to go to
space,” she proclaims. Instead of becoming
an astronaut, she did the next best thing –
she learned to fly. Although many cryoni-
cists would tremble at the thought of tak-
ing up such a risky hobby, Maria feels that
pursuing her true happiness is one of the
most important aspects of being a life
extensionist. “What is the point of living a
long life if you don’t use that time to do
what you enjoy most?” she asks earnestly.
Because of her interests, Maria some-
times wishes she had dedicated her life to sci-
Cryonics/Fourth Quarter 2007 11
Member Profile:
Wes Du Charme
By Chana de Wolf
W es Du Charme dedicated his early life
to understanding how people work
together. After obtaining a Ph.D. in
Experimental Psychology from the University
of Michigan in 1969 he entered the field of
industrial and organizational (I/O) psycholo-
gy, which seeks to influence productivity and
satisfaction in the workplace by utilizing psy-
chological theories and research methods. It
was with the logical mindset required of such
an occupation that Wes first read K. Eric
Drexler’s book, Engines of Creation, in 1990.
Though he had heard of cryonics before, he
had never seriously considered it for more
than a few moments. Confronted with
Drexler’s evidence for the inevitability of
human manipulation of matter at the molec-
ular scale, Wes recalls that, “suddenly, cryon-
ics made sense.”
And suddenly, Wes was on a mission. As
a researcher and writer who had “always been
interested in what the future will hold,” Wes
embarked on a quest to inform himself and
others of the possibilities for dramatically
extended lifespan. After extensive investiga-
tion into both nanotechnology and cryonics,
Wes jokingly regards the cold Idaho
winters as a cryonics training program.
Wes with his wife, Ida, who is also an Alcor member.
www.alcor.org Cryonics/First Quarter 2008
and six months devoted to writing, Wes pub-
lished a book in 1995 called Becoming Immortal:
Nanotechnology, You, and the Demise of Death
about nanotechnology-driven possibilities for
extending life and resuscitating cryonics
patients. Motivated by his desire to live a long
life and see the future and to obtain credibili-
ty as the author of a book about cryonics,
Wes joined the cryonics experiment as an
Alcor member that same year.
I/O psychologists are by definition inter-
ested in organizational or group behavior, and
Wes’s concerns about the future of cryonics
leave no question that he is intensely interest-
ed in the underlying psychological issues sur-
rounding the subject. He wonders, why do
some see so clearly, and thus feel so passion-
ately, the need for cryonics while others so
easily dismiss it? Worse still, why do so few
people accept rational arguments in favor of
cryonics? “Obviously,” Wes declares, “we
would all be safer if cryonics were more pop-
ular. We are all more at risk because the idea is
not well known and is not well accepted.
There are many ways things can go astray
even in the best of circumstances.”
3
 The answer to this problem: member-
ship growth. “I think significantly increasing
our membership is the key to almost every-
thing else. More members would translate
into more dollars, which would allow us to
develop along many fronts including publici-
ty, marketing, lobbying, and research. Now, if
I only knew how to increase membership….”
By his own admission, his efforts at
recruiting more Alcor members, even after
having written a book on the subject, have
been less than stellar. “I was already married
by the time I first learned about cryonics, and
my wife became interested through me.”
Unfortunately, other than his wife Ida, none
of his friends or family have become mem-
bers, keeping a safe distance in the camp of
the “generally supportive.” Wes feels that
Alcor should devote more of its energy and Wes sharing time with his mother and wife.
resources toward marketing to encourage
growth because “a larger organization has
more clout, more resources, and more Perhaps his most ambitious pastime over lifestyle might add significantly more than
options for its members.” the past three years has been running a web- just a few months or years to my lifespan.” By
Now retired from his job in academia, site designed to help other retirees find inter- doing what he can to extend healthy lifespan
his leisure activities include reading, keeping esting new leisure activities. The site uses now, Wes hopes to take advantage of medical
up with nanotechnological developments, questionnaire/profile matching to direct cus- advances that will significantly improve that
and playing tennis several times a week. He tomers to the most appropriate leisure activi- capability in the future. Speaking most fond-
also serves on committees in the small town ties from a database of over 1200 activities ly of his favorite hobby, singing in a barber-
of Rathdrum, Idaho, and is currently presi- (decisiontimetools.com). His background in shop group, Wes chuckles, “We always say
dent of “Friends of Rathdrum Mountain,” a psychology and interest in cryonics have that barbershoppers live, on average, seven
conservation group in the area. taught him that “living a healthy, happy years longer than the rest of the population.
I’m not sure that’s true, but I’ll take every bit
of help I can get!” 
“We always say that barbershoppers live, on average,
seven years longer than Wes can be contacted at:
wesducharme@roadrunner.com
the rest of the population.”

Wes (second from left) prepares to deliver a singing valentine with his barber shop quartet.

4 Cryonics/First Quarter 2008 www.alcor.org

Member Profile:
“The future belongs to those who believe
In 2005, the Beauregards enjoyed the Christmas holiday
in scenic Auberge du Lac Taureau (Quebec)
I f you spend any time perusing the Alcor
United web forums, you will undoubtedly
run into posts by Magali and Stephane
Beauregard, who always end their correspon-
dence with the above quote. Such a bold and
hopeful statement instantaneously paints a
picture of two eager, forward-looking people
– the kind of people whose dreams of the
future are uplifting, if idealistic...the type of
people who are always willing to share the
beauty of their dreams with others and who
continually strive to bring their hazy, beautiful
dreams into sharper focus.
And that picture would be accurate.
Magali, a native of Amboise, France, credits
her supportive parents and maternal grandpar-
ents, as well as a traditional education, with
instilling the values that she now finds useful in
her life. In high school, Magali began having
horrible headaches. An MRI scan revealed a
hypophyseal tumor that was so large the doc-
tors recommended immediate surgical
removal. Eventually, after two operations, two
radiotherapy treatments, and a long course of
medication, the tumor was stabilized. Rather
than dwell on the negative, though, Magali
prefers to recall that, in 2001, she met “the
person who would become my best friend and
the man of my life: Stephane.”
Stephane grew up in LaSalle, Quebec, the
French province of Canada. At age eleven, his
parents divorced and were thereafter not
always present in his life. Instead, he attributes
the shaping of his mind and personality to the
14
Stephane and Magali
Beauregard
By Chana de Wolf
in the beauty of their dreams!”
extraordinary love and care of his paternal
grandparents and an early education in the
value of money gained as a newspaper street
enough, Stephane first learned of cryonics
in a public restroom in France, where in
1993 he discovered a magazine article about
peddler from the age of thirteen. With temper- Alcor. “I was very captivated but I hadn’t
atures ranging from 30ºC (86ºF) in summer to any pen and paper on me to note the
-35ºC (-31ºF) in winter, Stephane rose at 5:00 address and phone number,” he recalls. “So
in the morning, seven days a week, before I wanted to remember [the name] of Alcor
going to school. Later on, after a few different in Scottsdale.” Many years later, he and
jobs in the adult working world, Stephane Magali were at home watching Vanilla Sky
decided to create his own import/export busi- and Forever Young – two movies that talk a
ness of collectible music items. little about cryonics, which reminded
It was on a trip to France for a conven- Stephane of Alcor. He and Magali then
tion that he met Magali. “I had to buy a return found the Alcor website, which they found
ticket for Montreal and she worked in the so interesting that they decided to contact
travel agency,” says Stephane. After communi- Jennifer Chapman to learn more about
cating by email and phone, they decided to Alcor membership.
take a trip to Reunion and Mauritius Islands in In 2005, Magali and Stephane traveled to
the Indian Ocean to get to know each other Scottsdale to tour the Alcor facility and
better. Though Stephane was 32 years old and
unsure about the idea of “true love,” as
Magali walked in front of him one day he
found himself wondering if perhaps she
might be the woman for him. Throughout the
remainder of the trip they developed such
respect for one another that Stephane knew
the answer. Several weeks later, he decided to
prove his love and sincerity by moving to
France to be with Magali. Consequently, they
were engaged in 2002 at the top of the Eiffel
Tower and married in 2003 at Beauregard
Castle – a series of events that Stephane
regards as very much “like a fairy tale.”
So how did this fairy tale couple This happy couple wed five years ago at
Beauregard Castle in France (August 2003)
become involved in cryonics? Strangely
Cryonics/Second Quarter 2008 www.alcor.org
finalize their membership applications. They
reasoned that cryonics is their “only chance to
come back in the future” and that’s a chance
they are willing to take. Like most cryonicists,
Stephane and Magali express a deep love of
living and feel that life as we know it today is
too short to realize all their dreams and ambi-
tions. Furthermore, they both feel that the
hope of seeing each other again and contin-
uing their journey together will lessen the pain
of losing one’s beloved life partner. This is a
psychological benefit that may be encouraging
an increasing number of couples and families
to join Alcor together.
Magali and Stephane pose with Alcor
membership coordinator Diane Cremeens
in the Alcor patient care bay.
Of course, Magali and Stephane have big
dreams for Alcor, too. They envision an Alcor
with offices in all the big cities of the world,
with a team of researchers presenting ground-
breaking scientific findings at medical and
technology conferences, and a better-devel-
oped marketing department that will attract
more publicity and sponsorship. More imme-
diately, they would like to see Alcor automate
the membership sign-up process and payment
functions online and to investigate newly-
developed global satellite messenger systems
as a means of alerting Alcor to member
health emergencies. They are also interested
in the feasibility of implementing a software
system that would allow cryonicists to upload
as much information about themselves as
possible in order to assist in stimulating mem-
ories and personalities upon resuscitation.
Beautiful dreams aside, Magali and
Stephane realize that cryonics suffers from a
www.alcor.org
lack of notoriety and, as a result, a want of
members. Aside from the obvious challenge of
reviving and rejuvenating its patients, they feel
that the next most important goal for Alcor is
to grow a more substantial membership base.
To that end, Stephane and Magali do their best
to increase positive awareness of cryonics.
Today they work together in publicity, having
created a phone directory in the area where
they live. Stephane reports that in this line of
business, where they constantly interact with
many different people, they are asked about
their Alcor bracelets every day. “So we explain
the truth and we take a few minutes to talk
about cryonics with them,” he says.
Because they feel that it is interesting and
important for cryonicists to know and learn
about one another, Stephane and Magali also Stephane steals a picture of Magali while
go out of their way to meet and stay in touch enjoying a nature walk in Quebec, where
with other Alcor members. They were very the pair was celebrating their
3rd wedding anniversary (2006).
happy to meet “extraordinary people of var-
ious countries” at the last two Alcor confer- Their vivacity is expressed through a
ences (2006 and 2007), but were disappointed number of other interests, as well. Magali likes
to learn that some Alcor members find it too to swim, take nature walks, make videos and
difficult to keep in contact afterward. photos, and draw. Stephane enjoys composing
Stephane and Magali traveled back to music, playing drums, and singing, as well as a
Scottsdale in March of 2008, where they were variety of physical activities including swim-
delighted to attend the monthly Phoenix ming, walking, diving and skating. Having
Cryonics Meetup. For Stephane, such meet- already visited more than thirty countries
ings are a “great opportunity to talk about cry- together, Magali and Stephane also maintain
onics and meet other Alcor members.” an active travel itinerary and visited Japan for
Being Francophones themselves, Magali their 5th anniversary in August 2008, where we
and Stephane understand the necessity of know they continued to engage others in pos-
publishing information in a variety of lan-
itive dialog about cryonics! I
guages. Thanks to their recent efforts in
securing translations of Alcor documents, Contact Stephane and Magali Beauregard:
Stephane reports that “now French speakers alcor.2197@gmail.com
around the world will be able to find informa-
tion about cryonics directly on the Alcor web-
site.” Taking it a step further, they also antici-
pate acting as volunteers to communicate with
French-speaking prospective members and to
write articles about cryonics in order to inform
others and find new members.
Stephane and Magali’s enthusiasm for
cryonics is so apparent that even their friends
and parents are infected by it. In fact,
Stephane’s mother and some friends are
beginning the application process because of
their sincere efforts. Stephane affirms that by
talking openly about cryonics they set a good
example and are generally surprised by the
positive reaction they receive from others. He
also notes that oftentimes the people they talk
to “did not know that this alternative exists.”
It is this zeal for introducing others to their
Stephane and Magali celebrated their
options, and the possibilities of the future,
5th wedding anniversary in Kyoto, Japan
that drives Magali and Stephane.
in August 2008.
Cryonics/Second Quarter 2008 15
Member Profile:
Richard Leis, Jr.
By Jerad Kaliher

Richard describes the HiRISE project

to a live audience. He is speaking with the

R ichard Leis, Jr. has his eyes fixed on space. His pursuit of science
has led him on a journey that is out of this world, Mars to be exact.
At 35 years old he works as an Operations Specialist at the HiRISE
public as high resolution imaging systems
are inserted into orbit.

Operations Center located at the University of Arizona in Tucson. The

project plans to take approximately 10,000 images of the surface of Mars
with hopes to obtain high resolution images
of less than one percent of the planet’s sur-
face. The job demands detailed methodology
and scrutiny of complex scientific data. He
applied the same mindset to cryonics from
the start.
As an adult Richard has been an active
member of the transhumanist movement. He
is the Treasurer of the Immortality Institute,
whose mission is “to conquer the blight of
involuntary death.” In 2006 he founded h+,
or “humans plus,” a transhumanist club with
roots in Tucson. Originally, he wanted to meet
people who identified themselves as immor-
talists. They began meeting for lunch once a
week. That trend eventually developed into a
journal club. The club has grown to include
Richard enjoys visiting his family
near the Oregon coast.
twenty active members with an additional
chapter in Phoenix, as well as over 100 partic-
ipants on Facebook. Through the club he met
several employees of Alcor and toured the
facility for the first time in December 2007.
He was impressed with what he was shown.
After extensive investigation, meeting
other Alcor members and touring the facility,
Richard was ready to become an Alcor
member. Expense was the first concern that
came to mind. Yet he found how reasonable
and viable the costs could be with proper
insurance coverage. He signed up on the spot.
Increasing Alcor membership is always
on his mind. The best way, according to
Richard, is to bring people who have an
interest in cryonics together frequently and
face-to-face. It’s what he was drawn to, the
human element. To attract new members to
his h+ club, the group has tried multiple
experiments to capture interest. Attempts
include posters with taglines like, “Do YOU
want to DIE, neither do we.” They have
elicited a wide range of responses, from
glaring eyes to outright anger and finally,
curiosity. It’s been one of his main challenges
when facing loved ones with the option of
cryonics. “People often dismiss you.” That
doesn’t deter him from spreading the word.
Richard’s wish is to extend what it is to
be human. “With a whole universe to explore,
I couldn’t imagine undertaking much of it
within an average lifespan.” This type of wide
eyed wonder is what brought him to cryonics
in the first place.
Although his family has not expressed
interest in membership, some of them have
been fascinated by his enthusiasm for the sub-
ject. His passion for science, planetary sys-
tems and cryonics radiate from him. “After
reading an article about the latest discovery I
have the urge to tell everyone. Family and
friends were often overwhelmed with the
technical aspects of what I’d find.” So he
found a more conventional way to share
breakthroughs – he started a blog (www.fron-
tierchannel.com). Writing began as an outlet
for factual news. His aspirations have grown
and he hopes to try his hand at fiction.
One thing is sure; he needs all the time
that science can muster. Mapping Mars,
finding life elsewhere in the universe and
writing about it may sound ambitious. Good
thing Richard is well on his way. To him it was
a simple choice, oblivion or a chance to be
brought back. “There is such wonder to
explore and experience, I’d just really hate to
miss it.” I
Contact Richard Leis, Jr.: rleisjr@gmail.com
Visit Richard’s Blog:www.frontierchannel.com

16 Cryonics/Second Quarter 2008 www.alcor.org