Alcor Member Profile: Bonnie Magee
Alcor Member Profile
From Cryonics 4th Quarter 2010
By Chana Phaedra
It is a comforting thought to know that your cryonics organization’s interests are being looked out for by someone with the same priorities as yourself; so it was with great enthusiasm that Alcor welcomed accountant and Alcor member Bonnie Magee as Finance Director in October 2009. The feeling is mutual — Bonnie has, as you will see, made significant changes in her life in to follow her own path to Alcor’s door, where she is happy to put her talents to good use for the worthy cause of saving lives.
A far cry from living in the desert: Bonnie Magee in the winter wonderland of her hometown of Waterford, Connecticut.
Bonnie was born and grew up in Waterford, Connecticut. After high school she skipped down the road to the University of Connecticut, where she majored in physics for a couple of years before transferring to the School of Business. Bonnie explains, “I liked science but decided I didn’t want to stay in physics. At the time, I thought I might want to run my own business someday, so accounting seemed like a logical choice.” So she obtained a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 2001 and ventured into the wide world of finance. Bonnie worked as an auditor at a public accounting firm in Glastonbury, Connecticut for six years, taking a few graduate courses along the way.
Somewhere along the way, around 2003, a friend of Bonnie’s introduced her to the idea of cryonics. “I knew immediately that I wanted to sign up,” she said, “but waited for a couple years before sending in the paperwork.” She joined Alcor in 2005, citing a love for life and an intense curiosity about the future as major motivators.
In stark contrast to her excitement for the future, however, Bonnie began feeling increasingly suffocated in the present. “I was born, grew up, went to college, and was working in Connecticut. I felt like life wasn’t going the way I wanted,” she recalls. “Now I was an Alcor member and I wanted to meet other cryonicists, but I think there was only one other cryonicist in Connecticut at the time. I felt extremely isolated — also for being transhumanist, atheist, and vegan, as well as a cryonicist, and open about all of those things. I didn’t [know] many people who understood my perspectives. ”
Fortunately, not long after Bonnie became a member, a New England cryonics meetup group got underway in Boston, which she attended regularly. She was also able to attend the 2006 Alcor Conference, which she describes as “one of the best experiences I had ever had. I felt very much at home in that group of people.”
Bonnie at a 2006 meeting of the Boston cryonics group.
Hoping to integrate that kind of like-minded camaraderie into her life on a permanent basis, Bonnie ventured west in early 2008 to San Diego, where her older brother Leon had lived for a few years. She started work at an accounting firm and began looking for like-minded friends. Bonnie attended the Ending Aging conference in Los Angeles where she met other Alcor members. She quickly joined the Alcor Southern California standby and stabilization team and began driving to LA to attend training sessions.
Bonnie with Aubrey de Grey, researcher on aging, at the 2009 Ending Aging conference in Los Angeles, California.
Living in San Diego, Bonnie was also finally able to meet other transhumanists and began volunteering her accounting skills for Humanity+ (formerly the World Transhumanist Assocation). Through her ever-increasing network of cryonicist and transhumanist friends, Bonnie was offered the opportunity to work for Alcor and moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, in October 2009 to become Alcor’s Finance Director.
In this position Bonnie strives to improve the financial stability of Alcor. “We need money to improve our capabilities,” she explains, “and a more stable income to ensure that we will be viable for the very long term. I feel that this is the best place for me to apply my skills, the most rewarding accounting job I could have. Although I honestly hope to never need to be cryopreserved myself, it’s an honor to help provide that option to others.” Besides minding the numbers, Bonnie also participates in cases, hosts the local Phoenix Cryonics Meetup group, and frequently socializes with other Alcor members. Having moved across the country to become more actively involved in cryonics, it comes as no surprise that Bonnie is a shoo-in for organizing such gatherings. “I greatly enjoy the company of other cryonicists,” she explains, “and love the idea that I may know them for thousands of years.”
In the meantime, Bonnie continues to remain true to herself and is open about her cryonics arrangements with friends and family, both for her own protection and in the hope of convincing others to sign up. She maintains connections with non-cryonicist friends back in Connecticut, and while all are supportive of her wishes, she is disappointed that so far none have signed up.
Outside of cryonics, Bonnie’s major hobby is keeping two large freshwater tropical aquariums. “Keeping the aquariums has always been an outlet for my scientific side, which I haven’t been able to take advantage of [as] an accountant,” she says. “I also have two cats. When I moved from Connecticut to California I drove across the country with forty fish, two cats, and my Mom in the car with me. We all made it despite my car breaking down in Texas! I made it through that trip largely with the help of my parents. It was quite an adventure. I am constantly trying to convince them to sign up with Alcor, so that we can continue the adventures indefinitely.” Bonnie also enjoys gardening, bicycling, snorkeling, and has recently taken up hoop dancing.
Hoop it up! Bonnie has taken up hooping, which she enjoys practicing here in an Arizona park.
Bonnie has just begun her cryonics adventure, but she is obviously committed to the cause and to helping out in any way she can. She encourages others to do the same, and especially to visit Scottsdale to see the Alcor facility and meet other Alcor members. Ever cognizant of inviting everyone to the party, she reminds us that “All members are welcome to attend the monthly cryonics meetup group, and are welcome to contact me anytime.”
Who knows — like Bonnie, you may just find what you’ve been looking for!