X-Message-Number: 30543 Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 03:00:30 -0800 From: Edgar Swank <> Subject: Alcor Board and =?windows-1252?Q?=93Director_Electorate=94?= I was recently reminded that the intended political structure for the Alcor governing body included a kind of super delegates called (if my source had the terms right) Director Electorates. As Fred and Linda Chamberlain envisioned, the Alcor membership would elect the Director Electorates who would in turn elect Alcor Directors. The Director Electorates would be the wise old men and women of Alcor: people who had been around long enough to know about cryonics: what works and what is just pie-in-the-sky. The installation of Director Electors was never accomplished, perhaps because the early organization had too few members to justify that political tier. Then, I speculate, when membership grew to make Director Electors practical the Alcor board was so entrenched that they were loath to give up power. The Chamberlains, or the Alcor archives could, no doubt, provide more details on this plan. I suggest that reform minded Alcor members check this out. The whole question of how best to structure an organization is one we at ACS have addressed in a variety of ways: - Direct election of Governors by members - Election of Officers by the Governors - A procedure to ensure that Governors can campaign on the issues and can give answers to issues raised by other candidates. - Procedures to keep private the names of members but still get this election material to them. - Inspection rights for any facility housing ACS members - Policies to handle suspension funds that guard against neglect or misuse - Appointment of sponsors for people in suspension (a friend on the outside for each patient) - Funds for reanimation - Separate trust or fund for each frozen member. This means that if a member is reanimated control of his funds will return to him. Some of these features were part of our program from our beginning in 1969, others have been implemented through policy change over the years. We recommend these policies/procedures to Alcor or any start-up cryonics organization. For people just now making arrangements: ACS is tested and ready! Like Alcor we are a 501c3 organization with a perfect record in never losing suspension funds, and keeping funded frozen members safe. We have long had a contract with the Cryonics Institute for long-term cryogenic storage of our members. We also have a contract with Suspended Animation. More details are on our website at: www.americancryonics.org. -- Edgar W. Swank <> President - American Cryonics Society http://AmericanCryonics.org Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=30543