From the desk of Nan Zingrone, July 20th, 2021: It is with a broken heart that I am here to let those know who have not yet heard that Carlos passed away at the age of 66 on Friday, July 16th.
A few days after his last post on this blog, we were in the ER at the University of North Carolina hospital. Two tumors were discovered on, around, and below his temporal lobe. On the 15th of January, he had neurosurgery which successfully removed all but 3% of the tumors. He was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer on the 2nd of February. Throughout the spring, Carlos endured radiation treatments, and three different regimes of chemotherapy, but the residue of the original tumors continued to grow. On the 21st of June he entered an at-home hospice program, and on July 16th, passed away peacefully in our home.
Throughout his battle with cancer we were both inspired and comforted by the kindness and caring of the staff, nurses, and doctors at UNC Hospital, UNC Home Health, and UNC Hospice, as well as the prayers, healing intentions, cards, letters, calls, and visits from friends, family, and colleagues. We were grateful for everyone who sought to help him recover, survive, and then who prayed for and facilitated his peaceful passing. We could not have been more blessed in that regard.
If you are on Facebook, seek out the Parapsychology Foundation Facebook page and elsewhere around the FB universe where there are tributes to his character and work, and comments that have been so comforting to all of us who knew and loved him. The personal emails of condolence I have received and the public comments I have read have helped me so much with the pain of his loss after 38 years of happiness with this extraordinary man.
If you are a reader of the blog but don’t know as much as you would like to about his life and work, there is a biographical entry recently published on Psi Encyclopedia. In the fall of 2020, Carlos worked with Michael Duggan who writes many of the biographies in that encyclopedia. Dr. James G. Matlock helped finalize the biography while Carlos was in hospice and after he passed. The hard work of Michael, Jim and others has resulted in a very informative entry with a selected list of his publications. Click here to read this entry.
The Parapsychology Foundation’s first announcement of Carlos’ death included a link to an interview that PF President, Lisette Coly, published on the PF YouTube channel. Click here to watch that interview. If you put “Carlos S Alvarado” or just “Alvarado” in the search button on the PF YouTube channel, you will find a long list of Carlos’ interviews and lectures. The interview that Lisette linked to was uploaded 4 years ago and is a wonderful look into Carlos’s passion in the various topics of the field.
Over the next few months, I will be asking many of our colleagues to reproduce or discuss their tributes to Carlos here. I will also work to provide information about the various efforts that are made to memorialize his life and work, and to preserve his legacy. I don’t know how soon I will be able to start this series of blogs because, for me, this is an immediate and searing loss, but rest assure, the material will appear.
Your own thoughts and comments on Carlos, his life and work, and the content of this blog is welcome. I end this note with one of my favorite photos of this brilliant and generous man who has left us all too soon.
I think that Carlos, in his role as a parapsychology historian, has helped legitimize the science immensely by filling in an important part of the field. I was happy to share his posts and widen the reach of his work, which I believe will endure.
Please accept my heartfelt condolences. He will be missed.
Sincerely,
Craig Weiler
Thank you so much, Craig. I heartily agree with your assessment.
Best,
Nan
I’m so terribly sorry that Carlos is gone. I miss his knowledge, jokes and puns. What an incredible guy. I hope you are doing ok. I know I haven’t been in touch for two years due to moving to a new house and all that entails. My heart and prayers go out to you. Please keep in touch.
Thank you so much. I will.
I will miss Carlos and his work (including his wonderful blog). He contributed so much to my understanding of parapsychology and its history. What a great man, indeed. My condolences and prayers. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Thank you Ross
About 17 years ago I meet both Carlos and Nancy at PA convention. At the time I was a student of Loyd Auerbach and easily the greenest person there and yet Carlos was kind and patient when explaining a concept to me as a person could be. Over the years my respect for him and his/their work has only deepened. I am so sad to hear of his passing. The world has lost a note of grace and wisdom. My condolences to Nancy.
Thank you, Sheila!
All the AISM (Associazione Italiana Scientifica di Metapsichica) remember Carlos as a great researcher and friendly person with which it was a pleasure to maintain the relationship. We add our best thoughts and feelings to the family, Carlos will be always in our hearts.
Giorgio Cozzi
AISM’s President and all the associates
Thank you, Giorgio.
Dear Nancy, although I have known both of you for several years, the fact is that we’ve had relatively few interactions (from my perspective) and fewer still in person. Yet, I am deeply saddened by Carlos’ passing; it feels as if I have lost a member of my own family. Please accept my condolences.
Thank you, Miguel. Seeing you in person or no, your friendship has been precious to Carlos and I for so long that you long ago passed into family. Thank you again for your kind words.
He is and will remain for long the greatest historian of parapsychology in the world. I am glad I had the opportunity to meet him and Nancy here in the University of Juiz de Fora.
Thank you, Humberto. We enjoyed meeting you too and Carlos had and I have fond memories of that visit to Juiz de Fora.
Carlos was a wonderful brother-like friend, colleague, researcher, and person. He will keep alive through his contributions to the field and the marks he left in the lives of those (like me) who had the privilege to be closer to him. Thank you for continuing this blog, Nancy! This contributes to the materialization of Carlos importance and permanence among us. All my love to you, dearest Nan.
Dear Fátima, Thank you so much for your wonderful comments. He loved you and your and Wellington’s work, and I still do. So many people have been inspired by Carlos, and will pick up his mantel, and the rest of us just have to preserve and further his work and his legacy. There is so much to and it helps those of us who miss him so keenly to do this. Bless you guys, and thank you again. Nan
Thank you, Nan.
Sent from my iPhone
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Thank you Lisa!
Beautiful Tribute for a BEAUTIFUL human being.
Thank you, Pablo. I so appreciate your comment.
Surely, Carlos will live for many, many years through his writings, but I insisted many times to write a book, which was finally with Richet´s biography… it was very exciting! As I told you, Carlos was an inspirational tool for at least two generations of parapsychologists since eighties; the harder defender and protector of his/her friends and an admirable worker in the field, so much neglected in Puerto Rico (his own country) and other Spanish speaking countires. Sad! He was a “corner-man”, few people could be called corner in complex topics such as language barriers, boundary-work on history, paranormal/anomalous experiences (such as auras and Out of body experiences and others) and Ganzfed research -probably his not well-known topic. However, overall, his empathic personality, style of humour and charisma will be remembered by many of us. Never we (me and many other outsiders of the English speaking culture) forgot his “bridging” as Carlos Alvarado work´s was…
Please accept my most sincere condolences. I learned about Carlos Alvarado and his work when I saw the interview with him on Jeffrey Mishlove’s “New Thinking Allowed.” As a resuklt of that I bought a copy of his book on Richet, which interested me because of my own work, and had been meaning to contact Alvarado with a note of congratulations and venture a few questions. I am so sad to have missed the chance to do so. May he rest in peace, and in wonderful new adventures.
Thank you for your kind words.
Nancy, I have tears running down my face and I cannot imagine your pain at losing the physical presence of this lovely man. I felt I knew you both from the early Paramoocs and I received Carlos’ Weekly digest until 4th January but never had the privilege of meeting Carlos as I am in the UK. It seems so unjust that his brilliant brain was attacked in that way, he leaves a massive legacy, he will continue his work, his spirit will be with us, and his love continues to be with you. Sheila
Thank you so much, Shelia. Your comments resonate so much with how I feel about his loss.