Alcor Member Profile: Richard Leis, Jr.
Alcor Member Profile
From Cryonics 2nd Quarter 2008
By Jerad Kaliher
Richard 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 Operations Center located at the University of Arizona in Tucson. HiRISE is the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft which orbits Mars. The project plans to take approximately 10,000 images of the surface of Mars including high resolution images of about one percent of the planet’s surface. The job demands detailed methodology and scrutiny of complex scientific data. He applied the same mindset to cryonics from the start.
Richard describes the HiRISE project to a live audience. He is speaking with the public as high resolution imaging systems are inserted into orbit.
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 immortalists. They began meeting for lunch once a week. That trend eventually developed into a journal club. The club grew to include twenty active members with an additional chapter in Phoenix, as well as over 100 participants 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 enjoys visiting his family near the Oregon coast.
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 subject. His passion for science, planetary systems 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.frontierchannel.com). Writing began as an outlet for factual news. His aspirations have grown and he is trying his hand at writing science fiction novels.
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.”