At some point in the future, I’ll get around to telling the story of how my father, Lawrence “The Ice Man” Jensen, was a key figure in the early cryonics movement.

But, I want to make one thing clear…

My dad never abused Ted Williams’ severed head…

NEW YORK — The New York Daily News is reporting that Red Sox Hall of Famer Ted Williams’ severed head was mistreated at an Arizona cryonics facility, according to details from a new book.

In “Frozen,” Larry Johnson, a former executive at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale, Ariz., writes that Williams’ head, which had been severed and frozen for storage, was abused at the facility. Johnson claims a technician took baseball-like swings at Williams’ frozen head with a monkey wrench.

Williams, the last player to hit over .400 in a season, died in 2002 at age 83 and had his remains sent to Alcor for cryogenic storage in the hope that future generations would develop the technology to revive him.

Via HuffPo.

Uncle, Dad ~ 1930

Ted Kennedy shames the GOP on minimum wage

My great-great-grandparents, Neils Peter Jensen & Anina Margarethe Jensen ~1890

Two women, Dad ~1940s

Brother, Cousin, Cousin, Cousin, Me ~1971

Brother, Me, Mom – 1969

Looking back over the nearly 40 years of my life, there have been few moments where I felt that I was truly a witness to history as it was happening.

But, one of the first was watching the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, and Forever special which — according to Wikipedia — was aired on NBC on May 16, 1983.

I was 13.

And I, and millions of others, were completely mesmerized by Michael Jackson’s performance of Billie Jean. Right from the opening bass line groove all the way through his brief first reveal of the moonwalk. It seemed like nothing short of magic.

Watching the video below, it’s kind of hard to understand what a cultural phenomenon was kicked off that night. But it was very real. And for the next four years of high school, Michael Jackson defined pop music for my generation. Whether you loved him, or rebelled against what he represented, you could not escape him.

Sure, he was easy to mock even in 1983. And increasingly so over the years. But, like many, I couldn’t help feeling deeply sad for an immensely talented little boy who clearly never fully grew up.