Curtis Henderson
Encyclopedia
Curtis Henderson was a pioneer in the practice of cryonics
.
) and Temple University law school
. He passed the New York
bar exam
. For ten years he worked as an attorney (claims adjuster
) for an automobile insurance company (Hardware Mutuals) and later for The Hartford
.
Henderson had three sons from two wives. One of his sons was named "Rob", after Robert Ettinger
. Both of Henderson's two wives divorced him in large part because of his cryonics activities. The intense hostility of Henderson's second wife to cryonics inspired Mike Darwin
to begin a study of the many cases where "hostile spouses or girlfriends have prevented, reduced or reversed the involvement of their male partner in cryonics."
Henderson died on June 25, 2009 and is cryopreserved
at the Cryonics Institute
.
-related organization in New York City
was a branch of Evan Cooper's Washington, D.C.
-based Life Extension Society (LES). James Sutton, the New York LES coordinator and others became frustrated with LES when Cooper refused to give names and addresses of New Yorkers who had contacted Cooper. Deciding to form a new organization, Sutton arranged a meeting in August 1965 that included Curtis Henderson, Saul Kent
and a designer named Karl Werner. At the meeting, Karl Werner coined the word "cryonics
", and the new organization was called the Cryonics Society of New York
(CSNY). Henderson soon became the President.
Curtis Henderson and Saul Kent spent October 1966 touring the United States to assist in the consolidation of the nascent cryonics movement. On October 2 they attended a meeting in Oak Park, Michigan
which led to the formation of the Cryonics Society of Michigan
, with Robert Ettinger
as President. On October 14 they attended a meeting in Woodland Hills, California where it was agreed to incorporate the Cryonics Society of California
(CSC), with Robert Nelson as President. (The following January, CSC cryopreserved the first man, Dr. James Bedford
.)
On March 2, 1968 CSNY held its first Annual Cryonics Conference
at the New York Academy of Sciences
, a meeting attended by over one hundred people. In July 1968 CSNY cryopreserved
its first patient, Steven Mandell.
In 1969 Cryo-Span Corporation
was created to specialize in the technical and business aspects of cryopreservation
, as distinct from the educational and administrative activities of CSNY. Curtis Henderson, Saul Kent and Paul Segall were the Cryo-Span Directors, but in practice Curtis Henderson was responsible for maintaining the patients in liquid nitrogen
. In 1974, the State of New York Department
of Public Health
informed Curtis Henderson that cryonics was in violation of the law and that continued cryopreservation would be fined at a rate of $1,000 per day. The bodies of the three CSNY patients being maintained were returned to their relatives.
Henderson was unusual as a pioneer who was ruthlessly honest about the limitations of cryonics. He admonished his contemporaries with aphorisms such as "There is no such thing as feelgood cryonics," meaning that optimism and faith in the future should never be allowed to distract advocates from the hard choices, challenges, and inadequacies of procedures in the real world. After grim personal experiences he became an advocate for "no third-party funding," referring to the practice (now obsolete) of accepting cases funded by a third party such as a spouse, child, or sibling of the deceased who might promise to make installment payments but almost invariably would cease doing so after a relatively short period, thus leaving the cryonics organization to deal with the problem of maintenance.
Curtis Henderson continued to be active in cryonics as a Member of Alcor Life Extension Foundation
, CryoCare Foundation and most recently the Cryonics Institute
until his death on June 25, 2009.
Cryonics
Cryonics is the low-temperature preservation of humans and animals who can no longer be sustained by contemporary medicine, with the hope that healing and resuscitation may be possible in the future. Cryopreservation of people or large animals is not reversible with current technology...
.
Personal background
Henderson graduated from Pennsylvania Military College (now Widener UniversityWidener University
Widener University is a private, coeducational university located in Chester, Pennsylvania.Its main campus sits on 108 acres , just southwest of Philadelphia...
) and Temple University law school
Temple University Beasley School of Law
The Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law is the law school and a constituent academic unit of Temple University. Informally referred to as Temple Law School, the school is located at the Main Campus of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Temple University James E...
. He passed the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
bar exam
Bar examination
A bar examination is an examination conducted at regular intervals to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in a given jurisdiction.-Brazil:...
. For ten years he worked as an attorney (claims adjuster
Claims adjuster
Claims adjusters investigate insurance claims by interviewing the claimant and witnesses, consulting police and hospital records, and inspecting property damage to determine the extent of the company’s liability. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, the Caribbean and New Zealand...
) for an automobile insurance company (Hardware Mutuals) and later for The Hartford
The Hartford
The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. , usually known as The Hartford, is a Fortune 500 company and one of America’s largest investment and insurance companies...
.
Henderson had three sons from two wives. One of his sons was named "Rob", after Robert Ettinger
Robert Ettinger
Robert Chester Wilson Ettinger was an American academic, known as "the father of cryonics" because of the impact of his 1962 book The Prospect of Immortality...
. Both of Henderson's two wives divorced him in large part because of his cryonics activities. The intense hostility of Henderson's second wife to cryonics inspired Mike Darwin
Mike Darwin
Michael G. Darwin, also known as Michael Federowicz, was the president of the cryonics organization Alcor Life Extension Foundation from 1983 to 1988, and Research Director until 1992...
to begin a study of the many cases where "hostile spouses or girlfriends have prevented, reduced or reversed the involvement of their male partner in cryonics."
Henderson died on June 25, 2009 and is cryopreserved
Cryopreservation
Cryopreservation is a process where cells or whole tissues are preserved by cooling to low sub-zero temperatures, such as 77 K or −196 °C . At these low temperatures, any biological activity, including the biochemical reactions that would lead to cell death, is effectively stopped...
at the Cryonics Institute
Cryonics Institute
The Cryonics Institute is a member-owned-and-operated not-for-profit corporation which provides cryonics services. It is located in Clinton Township, Michigan....
.
Organizational activities
The first cryonicsCryonics
Cryonics is the low-temperature preservation of humans and animals who can no longer be sustained by contemporary medicine, with the hope that healing and resuscitation may be possible in the future. Cryopreservation of people or large animals is not reversible with current technology...
-related organization in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
was a branch of Evan Cooper's Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
-based Life Extension Society (LES). James Sutton, the New York LES coordinator and others became frustrated with LES when Cooper refused to give names and addresses of New Yorkers who had contacted Cooper. Deciding to form a new organization, Sutton arranged a meeting in August 1965 that included Curtis Henderson, Saul Kent
Saul Kent
Saul Kent is a prominent life extension activist, and co-founder of the Life Extension Foundation, a major dietary supplement vendor and promoter of anti-aging research...
and a designer named Karl Werner. At the meeting, Karl Werner coined the word "cryonics
Cryonics
Cryonics is the low-temperature preservation of humans and animals who can no longer be sustained by contemporary medicine, with the hope that healing and resuscitation may be possible in the future. Cryopreservation of people or large animals is not reversible with current technology...
", and the new organization was called the Cryonics Society of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(CSNY). Henderson soon became the President.
Curtis Henderson and Saul Kent spent October 1966 touring the United States to assist in the consolidation of the nascent cryonics movement. On October 2 they attended a meeting in Oak Park, Michigan
Oak Park, Michigan
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,793 people, 11,104 households, and 7,595 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,863.8 persons per square mile . There were 11,370 housing units at an average density of 2,263.9 per square mile...
which led to the formation of the Cryonics Society of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, with Robert Ettinger
Robert Ettinger
Robert Chester Wilson Ettinger was an American academic, known as "the father of cryonics" because of the impact of his 1962 book The Prospect of Immortality...
as President. On October 14 they attended a meeting in Woodland Hills, California where it was agreed to incorporate the Cryonics Society of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(CSC), with Robert Nelson as President. (The following January, CSC cryopreserved the first man, Dr. James Bedford
James Bedford
James Hiram Bedford was a University of California psychology professor who had written several books on occupational counseling. He is the first person whose body was cryonically preserved after legal death, and who remains cryopreserved...
.)
On March 2, 1968 CSNY held its first Annual Cryonics Conference
Academic conference
An academic conference or symposium is a conference for researchers to present and discuss their work. Together with academic or scientific journals, conferences provide an important channel for exchange of information between researchers.-Overview:Conferences are usually composed of various...
at the New York Academy of Sciences
New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
, a meeting attended by over one hundred people. In July 1968 CSNY cryopreserved
Cryopreservation
Cryopreservation is a process where cells or whole tissues are preserved by cooling to low sub-zero temperatures, such as 77 K or −196 °C . At these low temperatures, any biological activity, including the biochemical reactions that would lead to cell death, is effectively stopped...
its first patient, Steven Mandell.
In 1969 Cryo-Span Corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
was created to specialize in the technical and business aspects of cryopreservation
Cryopreservation
Cryopreservation is a process where cells or whole tissues are preserved by cooling to low sub-zero temperatures, such as 77 K or −196 °C . At these low temperatures, any biological activity, including the biochemical reactions that would lead to cell death, is effectively stopped...
, as distinct from the educational and administrative activities of CSNY. Curtis Henderson, Saul Kent and Paul Segall were the Cryo-Span Directors, but in practice Curtis Henderson was responsible for maintaining the patients in liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen is nitrogen in a liquid state at a very low temperature. It is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. Liquid nitrogen is a colourless clear liquid with density of 0.807 g/mL at its boiling point and a dielectric constant of 1.4...
. In 1974, the State of New York Department
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
of Public Health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
informed Curtis Henderson that cryonics was in violation of the law and that continued cryopreservation would be fined at a rate of $1,000 per day. The bodies of the three CSNY patients being maintained were returned to their relatives.
Henderson was unusual as a pioneer who was ruthlessly honest about the limitations of cryonics. He admonished his contemporaries with aphorisms such as "There is no such thing as feelgood cryonics," meaning that optimism and faith in the future should never be allowed to distract advocates from the hard choices, challenges, and inadequacies of procedures in the real world. After grim personal experiences he became an advocate for "no third-party funding," referring to the practice (now obsolete) of accepting cases funded by a third party such as a spouse, child, or sibling of the deceased who might promise to make installment payments but almost invariably would cease doing so after a relatively short period, thus leaving the cryonics organization to deal with the problem of maintenance.
Curtis Henderson continued to be active in cryonics as a Member of Alcor Life Extension Foundation
Alcor Life Extension Foundation
The Alcor Life Extension Foundation, most often referred to as Alcor, is a Scottsdale, Arizona, USA-based nonprofit company that researches, advocates for and performs cryonics, the preservation of humans in liquid nitrogen after legal death, with hopes of restoring them to full health when new...
, CryoCare Foundation and most recently the Cryonics Institute
Cryonics Institute
The Cryonics Institute is a member-owned-and-operated not-for-profit corporation which provides cryonics services. It is located in Clinton Township, Michigan....
until his death on June 25, 2009.