Richard Jaffeson

Saving Ted Williams: Tales of Mystery, Intrigue and Redemption Richard Jaffeson

SAVING TED WILLIAMS Tales of Mystery, Intrigue, and Redemption by Richard C. Jaffeson Copyright(s) 1998-2005 Immediately after his passing on July 5, 2002, Ted Williams' remains were flown to Arizona where the body was treated, beheaded, frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored in stainless-steel containers through a process known as cryonics, which claims to eventually be able to revive, epair, and restore deceased persons. This process is highly questionable, and should be substantiated in order to determine its validity. More importantly, as described in articles contained herein, Williams' 1996 Will included specific instructions regarding his final disposition, and he never contracted for cryonics treatment. As presented on the home page of the 'Save Ted Williams" website: 'If this story was not true, it seems that it could have been taken directly from the script of a B-rated science fiction movie, when immediately upon his death in Florida at an elderly age, a once outstanding baseball star and hero, is whisked away in by private airplane to be cryonically frozen at a laboratory somewhere in Arizona." 'Should this plot be in another Austin Powers movie, or in a film such as "Sleeper" by Woody Allen? Or, perhaps it was derived partly from the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley." Ted Williams' 1996 Will stipulated a ceremony and cremation with his ashes spread across the Florida Keys along with those of Slugger his Dalmatian. However, before his final wishes could be accomplished, his remains were taken directly to a cryonics firm in Arizona. Afterwards, members of the immediate family were unable to secure the release of his remains, and they have been required to discontinue those efforts in December 2002. Subsequently, two approaches were developed by this author to achieve resolution and redemption. The first was to have the cryonics firm authenticate its claims of restoring life after death under provisions of Arizona's stringent consumer protection laws, while the second is an evaluation of funding practices whereby potential clients utilize life insurance to finance treatment. The articles presented herein provide background information and further elaborate upon these approaches. Content attempts to cover concepts and methods presented in entertaining formats on what otherwise might be considered a fairly unpleasant topic and a highly unfortunate occurrence. Ted Williams, a notable American icon and outstanding baseball hero, should not be subjected to this current condition. His remains and memory should be treated with dignity and honor reflecting his accomplishments and contributions.