Re: Houston Chronicle feature re quest for immortality

Scott Badger (wbadger@psyberlink.net)
Tue, 2 Mar 1999 19:48:46 -0600

>> From: Randy <cryon@mindspring.com>
>
>> http://www.chron.com/content/story.html/page1/204191
>
>"And while some gains in anti-aging research have been made, anyone hoping
to
>collect Quarles' prize had better work fast; it expires in 2000.
>
>"I'm trying to save my own ass," he admits. "And who wouldn't? According to
the
>charts, I only have about five years to live. The clock is ticking."
>
>"To clarify: Miller Quarles doesn't just want to live. He wants to live
forever. And
>he's offering a $100,000 reward for the scientist who finds the "cure" for
what he
>considers the disease of old age."
>
>Cryonics is never mentioned with regard to Quarles, so I suppose
>that he hasn't signed up yet (though afaik he knows about the
>procedure). Damn fool! He'll be long dead before they find that
>"miracle cure" for aging. Cryonics sure could use some extra
>funding, and Mr. Quarles will no doubt soon be needing cryonics,
>so perhaps someone should do some prodding (someone from
>ExI, perhaps?) Might be worth a try.

The same thought immediately struck me. After a brief serach, I found the following communique:

<<On Tue, 27 Jan 1998 09:33:29 Jim Halperin wrote

"den Otter" <otter@globalxs.nl> writes:Subject: Miller Quarles & cryonics

Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 11:57:11 +0100

I suppose most people on this list have already heard of Miller Quarles, a rich Texan oilman, founder of the Society for Curing Old Age Disease and Geron Corp. http://www.geron.com/ (of telomerase fame). He seeks immortality through genetic engineering, and has spent quite some money on research etc. He is also over 80 years old, and although he's allegedly in good health (unless, of course, he died recently) it seems obvious that he's not going to make it, i.e. the breakthrougs in anti-aging research are almost certainly too far off to be of any use too him. Since the man is an immortalist, one would expect that he has therefore made the necessary arrangements with a cryonics company. However, this doesn't seem to be the case. There is no mention of cryonics in any of the articles about M. Quarles,
in which he *does* state that he desires biological immortality etc. Is he for
some strange reason anti-cryonics, or simply unaware of the option? (hard to imagine, though). In the latter case it might be useful if someone (with some standing in the cryonics community) would notify Quarles. It goes without saying that a suspension contract would greatly benefit both Mr. Quarles as well as the cryonics community (at least *one* company, anyway ;) Apart from this, wouldn't it be a good idea for cryonics organizations to specifically target the high(er) income groups (intensively)? Surely there must
be plenty of rich folks out there without an urgent death-wish...Or has this already been tried? For an article on Quarles, gentics & immortality: http://www.inc.co.za/online/sunday_life/june_30/life.html

To den Otter:

Miller Quarles is indeed alive and well, although he was hospitalized and nearly died last year from a staph infection. I have spoken with him recently (he wrote to me after reading an advance copy of The First Immortal). Although a subscriber to Alcor publications, he has not yet signed up for suspension. He seems to believe that aging reversal will come in time for him, an opinion from which I have thus far been unable to dissuade him.
I expect,as a result of my book, to run into many people with odd views of death, society, religion, likely biotechnological progress, etc., and welcome all suggestions about how best to handle such situations, especially from cryonicists who have actually read The First Immortal.

Best regards, Jim Halperin>>

Source: http://www11.pair.com/kqb/archive/9059

Scott