THE GATHERING OF SANDY'S SENIORS IN JUNE 2010

or

"The Big Thrill"

Interim Summary Report on the Clinical Trial in June of the SandyMatic Rejuvenation Machine
GDS-Cibola-Hawthorne Cultural Institute
05 July 2010

Preprint prior to publication. Submitted to Amer. J. Persist. Mem., July 2010

Alexander G. Orr, Principal Investigator
Camille Yater Stanley, Co-Investigator
Mary Ann Chase Gaston, Co-Investigator
Stephen L. Knapp, Ph.D., Co-Investigator, to whom correspondence should be directed.

Trial Dates: 18 and 19 June 2010
Trial Location: Memorabilia-Equipped House Belonging to Camille Yater Stanley, Georgetown, DE.

Note: The privacy and anonymity of participants are preserved in the following discussion by using code letters.

Executive Summary:
This is the interim report on the clinical test of the SandyMatic Rejuvenation Machine, Model 2010, with a basic target epoch of the years 1954-1960. Approximately 36 target "Seniors" participated, along with an additional 6 partners of participants serving as controls during the two day study. The bulk of most individuals' times was spent in conversation. Other activities included singing old songs, looking at photographs mostly from the teenage years of the participants, and a special "reverse graduation ceremony" conducted by the Principal Investigator. The primary conclusion of this study is that, in a carefully crafted clinical situation the SandyMatic Rejuvenation Machine (SRM), Model 2010, is quite capable of returning the thought processes of senior citizens to the way they were during the teenage years, but for this to happen in depth, it is important for the SRM user to look beyond the current states of wrinkles, hair loss and aged color, and in some cases, changes in body configuration. A second conclusion, relevant to understanding the Sokal Affair in the context of postmodernism, is that this clinical trial gives strong support to the alternative system of premodernism.

Selected Highlights:

The experimental environment comprised (1) a large house (kindly provided by Co-Investigator Camille Yater) filled with memorabilia and artifacts covering a wide range of years from the present back in time to before the births of any participants or investigators; (2) a number of outdoor tables with very effective sunshades plus a gazebo that promoted conversation among self-selected but fluid groups of participants; (3) hit tunes from the 1950s playing intermittently as background music supplemented by an evening "sing along" of camp songs conducted by a noted folk guitarist who happens to be a study subject; and (4) multiple continuous slide shows of photographs of most of the participants, in various extraordinary configurations and postures in academic and camping settings during the teenage years. The weather was benign although quite warm, and most activities took place outside in the large back yard at Camille's test site.

Participants arrived sporadically during the event, with the majority arriving late Friday and departing the morning after the formal study completion Saturday night. This added a repeated novelty because old friends tended to appear as if by magic out of a 55 year old cloud of memories. The investigators noticed that there were a number of strong groupings during the event, although it should be emphasized that groups tended to form during meals and were highly fluid. Most study subjects joined several groups during the course of the clinical trial. Examples of groups are the early Cibola group (M.M., F.R., JOF, L.M., H.D., S.N., T.B., E.T.), at several shaded tables; the Artists and Media group (G.M., S.M., N.L., B.S., P.B.) in the gazebo; the Macomb Street Gang (P.K, L.S., C.F., S.K., N.L.) which true to form tended to wander around; the meals group (M-A.C., M.C., G.K-M., A.S., M.A., C.Y.); the Hawthorne hockey team group (K.S., M.A., J.F-M., S.H., M-A.C., M.W., P.B.). The Macomb Street group was special in the sense that two out of four members were long unexpected and the arrival of one (C.F.) was kept as a surprise.

Several subjects did not always fall into an obvious group (L.H., S.W., J.H., D.G., J.V., J.F., J.G., R.N., G.M., P.W., B.W., D.O., E.T., T.B.), in some cases because their schedules did not permit continuous participation throughout the entire clinical trial.

The principal investigator (AGO) was pleased that he was able to discuss old times in direct conversation with almost all participants, and to make qualitative and quantitative estimates of the degrees of rejuvenation. It did not seem to bother him that he was always surrounded by eager clinical subjects although it was not always obvious that they had his stamina. [Note: There has been a rumor that the principal investigator employs hair coloring to simulate partial rejuvenation; he categorically denies this. The most likely explanation is the fact that the principal investigator has kept his youthful hair color because he has been using the SRM and its prototypes continuously during adulthood. This is a clear demonstration of the philosophical and medical benefits of premodernism.]
A number of study subjects were observed to revert to their known former selves. One participant (R.N.) arrived a day early and left a day later in order to help with installing and removing the SRM, just as he would do half a century ago, and one participant (C.Y.) was central to preparing the facility. The meals group demonstrated their customary caretaking behaviors just as in the past. Historians, nerds, and organizers (D.G., M.W., D.S., S.K., J.V.) tended to drift from group to group, especially for taking photographs. S.K., assisted by G.M., and J.V., spent some time working with the slideshow subsystems within the SRM. At least one member of the Macomb Street Gang was prone to giggling, just as in old times; it is not clear whether a glass of wine had anything to do with this retrograde behavior (see below).

The slideshow was intended to promote reversion to the years of youth by presenting photographs of the trial subjects when they were teenagers at Cibola and Hawthorne. During the first evening the slideshow was projected on a screen with a strong audience that collectively requested various sets of images. Audience reaction ranged from rolling in the aisles laughing and gasps of amazement that they ever did such things to silent sadness at seeing old photos of friends forever lost. Throughout the clinical trial, computers at two locations in the laboratory were set up to run a continuous autonomous slideshow or to permit interactive viewing of various subsets of pictures as desired by viewers seated at the computers. At various times individuals were observed to be intently looking in groups of one or two at selected subsets of images from their pasts. This aspect of the clinical trial has led the investigators to conclude that the slideshow of legacy pictures is an important aspect of the SRM and it will become a permanent subsystem included in all future models of the Machine.

This conclusion is reinforced by several collections of legacy photographs brought by several participants (J.V., J.H.) for sharing with others.

One of the singular highlights of this version of the SandyMatic Rejuvenation Machine was the Assembly, conducted by the principal investigator. For Assembly, all study subjects were gathered in the large living room in Camille's test house. The PI, Sandy Orr, conducted the Assembly; the agenda had two main parts: Awarding The Records and Vocal Remembrances.

Awarding The Records was clever with respect to chronological manipulation. It was also quite out of the ordinary and therefore completely appropriate to the subjects of the clinical trial. Mr. Orr had brought with him to the clinical trial file folders containing the records of many subjects from their summers at Cibola and years at Hawthorne School. One by one, the subjects were called forward individually to receive this retrograde "diploma", so to speak. Thus the PI inserted the old medical records, parent letters, and the high school scholastic scores of many subjects. This ceremony brought back the adolescent years in a direct fashion and clearly demonstrates the power of premodernism. Photographs taken during this part of the Assembly show many subjects, head down, reading their files. Even subjects who did not receive files could identify with their pasts "by proxy". Just as she had done many times as a student at Hawthorne, one subject (M-A.C.) made everyone laugh by sharing her thoughts when she received her "diploma".

Vocal Remembrances followed the Awarding The Records and consisted of several recitations and a discussion period. The first and most effective recitation was by A.S., who read a stream-of-consciousness tone poem that sang of her seasons at Cibola. It was very moving and brought wet eyes to many subjects (and investigators). This response demonstrated the subjective power of the SRM and also the strength of premodernism in the autonomic nervous system. The second was the recitation by rote of the roll call (through the letter 'K') at Cibola for the year 1957, by one subject (S.K), who had kept it in his head for more than half a century as a manifestation of premodern nerd syndrome. The discussion period comprised unstructured cross-talk discussion of some seminal events from Cibola history, notably the Through-The-Culvert story of two study participants (B.W., P.B.).

Also after the Awarding The Records, one of the two astronomers present, D.G., presented all the participants with copies of his latest book, "400 Years Of The Telescope", a companion to the PBS documentary of the same name. The subject matter includes examination of a segment of important scientific work throughout the premodern and modern eras, and the content of the book recaps the legacy research in one of the areas of physical science that are in general conflict with postmodernism. While of academic interest to an educated audience such as the participants in this clinical trial, the relevance of this work to the SRM is unclear, especially to the other astronomer (S.K.), who has considerable direct professional experience working on a variety of large telescopes during the modern era.

True to its name, the Assembly brought back to mind many parts of camp and school life, such as roll call, graduation, preparing for camp, etc. It was a Rejuvenation of Assemblies Past, or as phrased by an early French premodernist researcher, M. Proust, "A La Recherche Du Temps Perdus".

A strong example of the effectiveness of premodernism as a state of mind was provided during the clinical trial of the SRM when one of the professors of psychology (E.T.) led many of the participants in songs from the past. To guitar accompaniment he led the group in singing such favorites from the mid 20th century as "Cool Water", "I Walk The Line", "Desert Silvery Blue" (twice!), "Folsom Prison Blues", and "Goodnight Irene". It seemed impossible at this musical moment not to believe the group was gathered around a campfire in Navajo-Hopi lands near Four Corners. It is clear that claims of the effectiveness the musical subsystem of the SRM are largely correct.

One study subject tripped and fell with serious blows to the head and ribs. A study participant (J.H.), who is both a lawyer and an EMT, rendered first aid and cared for the injured participant. This act, for which the investigation team is very grateful, gives a complete reversal to the term "ambulance chaser" and is another example of premodernism as an effective system of thought. We are happy to report that the injuries did not require surgical intervention and are mending on their own with rest. This event, while unwanted and unexpected, is entirely consistent with the past history of Cibola if not of Hawthorne School. Accidents happen. But as with the accidents of the past, the injured subject has maintained a fine sense of humor and composure (and is appreciative of the many messages of concern).

The investigators observed a decreased presence of mobile telephones during the clinical trial in comparison to ambient conditions in similar environments elsewhere. Participants seemed to be strongly engaged with the SandyMatic Rejuvenation Machine. Linguistically, postmodern words like "facebook", "twitter", "IM", "oic", "lol", and "rofl" were entirely absent. On the other hand, "foxnews" and 'bush" were overheard in a perjorative context. In terms of non-verbal communications there were a lot of "hugs" especially at the beginning and ending hours of the clinical proceedings.

The meals during the critical trial were quite splendid and were under the overall direction of Co-Investigator Mary Ann Chase with volunteer help from the meals group. The pinnacle was dinner on Saturday night, catered in splendid fashion by the restaurant at the Brick Hotel in Georgetown. The Friday afternoon-evening "finger food" was prepared by our meals group in the kitchen at Camille's laboratory by the kitchen group. Saturday's lunch was pizza brought in from a local vendor, and included a vegetarian variety. Meals were served buffet style and were eaten at the covered tables in the large laboratory backyard. The investigators do not think that the meals contributed significantly to the rejuvenation effort in any direct way, as the menus did not closely resemble those of the target epoch. However, the meals did contribute indirectly by promoting conversation among the subjects. It was impossible to test premodernism vs postmodernism in the digestive sensory context because apple-butter was unavailable.

By its nature as an "adult" beverage, consumption of alcohol also did not figure into the rejuvenation process, digestive or otherwise, except possibly as a promoter of conversation. Drinking seemed to be in moderation, so the investigation team regards its contribution as neutral. It is noteworthy that at least 4 subjects (that is, more than 10% of the study population) had committed to abstinence during recent or earlier adult years; it is possible that subjects in this subset are unable to return to the degree of alcohol consumption that they may have experienced as teenagers during the target epoch. This clinical trial has excluded alcohol consumption from consideration with respect to the effectiveness of the SRM. The clinical trial is unable, moreover, to verify the rumors that adherence to postmodernist thought may promote alcohol consumption.

Conclusions:

(1) The SandyMatic Rejuvenation Machine, Model 2010, has demonstrated qualitative effectiveness in a 36-48 hour clinical trial with about 3 dozen participants and a small number of controls.
(2) We recommend that the Food and Drug Administration allow marketing of the SRM, subject to the limitation of a target demographic universe of persons with symptoms of premodernism syndrome or who have been diagnosed as manifesting premodernist tendencies.
(3) The SRM is unlikely to be helpful for persons who are continuously connected to Twitter.

Contact: S. Knapp

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[Note: Keep following pages separate from this preprint - For institution use only.]

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NOT FOR PUBLICATION - INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS ONLY - KEEP SEPARATE
Do not allow the following information to fall into the hands of FoxNews, Rush Limbaugh and the EIB (Excellence In Bloviating) Network, Dick Cheney, or John Yoo, out of concern for the safety of the participants, controls, and clinical staff.

NOTE: We use original names in this research. In a departure from premodernism, the GDS-Cibola-Hawthorne Cultural Institute neither encourages, advocates, nor supports the changing of a person's surname for any reason including marriage, civil union, cohabitation, or other arrangements that can be construed as ownership. Names of controls are shown in parentheses.

A.S.		Starr Ann
AGO		Orr Sandy
B.W.		Winter Bill (Bonnie Bick)
C.F.		Feiss, Caroline (Gordon Davidson)
C.Y.		Yater Camile
D.G.		Goldsmith Donald
D.O.		Orr, Douglas (Alma Hammond)
D.S.		Sawyer Dana
E.T.		Trickett Ed (Dina Birman)
F.R.		Romero Fabi
G.K-M.		Moerman Gail
G.M.		Mattingly Grayson (Suzanne Mattingly)
H.D.		Darby Hale
J.F-M.		Fogelgren Jan
J.F.		Ferber Joe
J.G.		Gilbert Judy
J.H.		Hunt Jack
J.V.		Vinton Jay
JOF		Field John 
K.S.		Samuels Kandy
L.H.		Harwood Lynne
L.S.		Searles Liz
M-A.C.		Chase Mary Ann
M.A.		Agronsky Marcia
M.C,		Campbell, Marilyn
M.M.		Amanda Mayer
M.W.		Warner Molly
N.L.		Leibel Nanny
B.S.		Swain Bob
P.B.		Breymeier Polly
P.K.		Keith Penny
P.W.		Winter Peggy
R.N.		Nelson Ric
S.H.		Harris Sue
S.K.		Knapp Steve
S.N.		Nerlove Sally (Tony Walters)
S.W.		White Steve
T.B.		Bryan Tony