3 years have passed since that important milestone, everyone wants to know what happened to the man who was once considered the richest man in America…
James Hiram Bedford is a psychology professor at the University of California and a veteran of World War I. He lived a full life in the mid-20th century, married twice and set foot in many lands around the world. He hunted in Africa, went to the Amazon rainforest, and traveled throughout Greece, Türkiye, Spain, England, Scotland, Germany, and Switzerland. Bedford was also one of the first people to drive the Alcan Highway to northwest Canada and Alaska.
Previously, in April 1966, a woman was also frozen in Arizona, but only lasted a few months. There is speculation that because she was embalmed too late, her cells had partially decomposed and if she had been “resurrected”, her brain would have been severely damaged.
Accordingly, James said his last words to Robert Nelson, now 82 years old, 1 of 3 scientists directly involved in the body freezing event: “I want you to understand that I did not do this with the thought that I would be revived. I did this in the hope that one day my descendants will benefit from this wonderful scientific solution”.
In 1991, Alcor decided to open James’s body and check his cryogenic condition after 24 years. Cutting through the metal coating of the jar, Alcor technicians found James in a pale blue sleeping bag, wrapped in a nylon strap. They moved him to a liquid nitrogen tank covered with polystyrene foam and began examining him.
The technicians said James’ body was quite well preserved. His face looked younger than his 73 years. Some areas of skin on his chest and neck were discolored and there were two holes in his body. Professor James’ nose and mouth smelled of blood. His eyes were half open and his corneas were the chalky white of ice. His legs were exposed with his right leg crossed over his left. Some cracks in the skin’s surface were found, but overall, James’ preservation was considered good. Alcor technicians then wrapped Professor James in a new sleeping bag and immersed his body in liquid nitrogen to wait. Now, three years after the promised time for James to wake up, he is still just a “mummy” stacked vertically with 145 other frozen people…
