Harry: The Story of Dr. Harry L. Kenmore and His Life with His Beloved Pop, Meher Baba

By Larry Karrasch and Rita Karrasch

Harry Kenmores blindness at the age of sixteen changed his life. After meeting Meher Baba in 1956 the path of his life was again altered because now he found God Meher Baba. His love and devotion led him to serve Baba as his chiropractor after Babas second automobile accident on December 2, 1956, in Satara, India.

We learn about Harrys journey to become Babas doctor, entertainer, friend and intimate mandali through-out the next thirteen years. Through the intimate taped conversations, cables and letters between Harry, Baba and the mandali and also talks by Harry to various Baba groups, we gain insight into Harrys life as his relationship evolves with his Pop, Meher Baba.

You dont know how much I love you Harry. You have become one of the intimate mandali. So I want you, for the remaining period that is, in between now and My Manifestation, which has not much time now, to just be as the mandali. Like My mandali, remain during this period between now and My Manifestation as mandali. So that when I break My Silence, when I Manifest, the few handful of the mandali can realize Me as I am. You too will realize Me as I am, not the world.
Meher Baba November 2, 1968

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jul 17, 2017
• ISBN: 9781532027048

Larry Karrasch

Harry Kenmore's blindness at the age of sixteen changed his life. After meeting Meher Baba in 1956 the path of his life was again altered because now he found God - Meher Baba. His love and devotion led him to serve Baba as his chiropractor after Baba's second automobile accident on December 2, 1956, in Satara, India. We learn about Harry's journey to become Baba' s doctor, entertainer, friend and intimate mandali through-out the next thirteen years. Through the intimate taped conversations, cables and letters between Harry, Baba and the mandali and also talks by Harry to various Baba groups, we gain insight into Harry's life as his relationship evolves with his Pop, Meher Baba. "You don't know how much I love you Harry. You have become one of the intimate mandali. So I want you, for the remaining period that is, in between now and My Manifestation, which has not much time now, to just be as the mandali. Like My mandali, remain during this period between now and My Manifestation as mandali. So that when I break My Silence, when I Manifest, the few handful of the mandali can realize Me as I am. You too will realize Me as i am, not the world." Meher Baba - November 2, 1968

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Copyright © 2017 Larry and Rita Karrasch.

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Cover Design by Larry Karrasch

Cover photographs Kenmore Collection

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-2705-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-2704-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017910025

iUniverse rev. date: 07/11/2017

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1   Early Years

Chapter 2   Harry’s First Trip to India

Chapter 3   Collaboration with Dr. Goher

Chapter 4   Living as Mandali in India

Chapter 5   Waiting for the Call

Chapter 6   Harry’s Surprise Visit for Baba’s Darshan

Chapter 7   East–West Gathering

Chapter 8   Harry’s Vacation in Poona

Chapter 9   Unannounced Visit to Guruprasad

Chapter 10   Baba Orders Two Public Celebrations

Chapter 11   Lessons in Creating Harmony

Chapter 12   Baba’s Name Takes to the Air

Chapter 13   Harry Meets with New Baba Lovers

Chapter 14   Harry’s Last Visit with His Pop

Chapter 15   His Last Visit in His Own Words

Chapter 16   Overcome With Grief

Chapter 17   Harry’s Last Darshan with Baba

Chapter 18   Living without His Pop

Chapter 19   Last Visit to Meherazad

Chapter 20   Harry’s Final Day’s

Epilogue

Dedicated to

Avatar Meher Baba and His son,

Harry Kenmore.

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Baba and Harry in Meherazad, India

Kenmore Collection

Harry was the one who was very close to Baba. Baba used to call him His very dear son, and he would address Baba as his Pop, my Pop. Where’s my Pop? He would address Him in letters and all that, God and Pop. His friend, His companion, everything He was in this world. His world and activities just revolved around Baba after he met Him in America for the first time. As told by Eruch Jessawala to a group of Eastern devotees in July, 1969

 Acknowledgements

A book of this type cannot be compiled without the assistance of many people. We therefore gratefully acknowledge and give our heart–felt thanks to those who shared their time and efforts to help this book come to fruition.

Without the preservation work of the Sheriar Foundation, the audio tape-recordings of Harry and Baba’s and Harry and mandali conversations would have been lost. Sheila Krynski and Dot Lesnik, in the late 1990’s initiated the process of preserving these materials onto archival audio CD’s from the Society for Avatar Meher Baba’s collection of Dr. Kenmore’s library of recordings, which we inherited from the Society for Avatar Meher Baba. Jonathan Burroughs, Steve Sakellarios, and other volunteers listened to and summarized the contents of each tape-recording, which saved us so many hours of reviewing each CD for relevance for this biography. Laura Smith became our contact person who guided us through the retrieving of these materials. Dru Swinson assisted us with accessing the audio CD’s for us to transcribe the conversations used in this book.

We also want to thank John Florence for his expertise in repairing our old reel to reel tape recorders which without his help we could not have been able to listen and transcribe other valuable material. Thanks also to Steve Sakellarios for correcting certain CD’s for speed and clarity, to Tony Zois, Dr. Bradley Mandell and Bob Ochtrup for their technical assistance. William Files, John Fornieri, Robert Ganz, Anne Giles, Jeanne Kassof, Richie Sanders, Jerry Seeley, Doug Webb, Jeff White and Jeff Wolverton were invaluable for their contributions of research and stories related to their experiences with Harry Kenmore.

We thank David Fenster and Meher Nazar Publications for use of copyright pictures and the AMBPPC Trust for short excerpts from ‘Lord Meher’. A special thanks to Meredith Klein, Megan DeLoe and the archival staff in Meherabad, India for Harry Kenmore’s correspondence with Baba and the mandali.

We are grateful to Bill and Diana LePage and Heather Nadel for their guidance and support. We also thank our friends from the Meher Spiritual Center Community for their interest and encouragement with this project.

 Preface

In the Sherlock Holmes short story, ‘The Adventure of the Abbey Grange’ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, one of the character’s, Captain Jack Crocker, is referred to as ‘large souled’. That was exactly what Dr. Kenmore was. To me he was beyond human, just like many of Baba’s mandali.

In 1957 my mother, father and I became chiropractic patients of Dr. Kenmore. Years later, he not only became like a second father to me, but now when I look back at my life, he was also a spiritual guide for me to emulate. This relationship has been very meaningful to me throughout my life. Guiding me to follow Meher Baba’s teachings in a way I don’t think I could have done on my own.

My relationship with Harry or Doctor, as I used to call him, began when I first met him, at the Myrtle Beach Sahavas in 1956, Baba’s second visit to His home in the West. There wasn’t much interaction as I was only eight years old. At this time I had already met Meher Baba in Myrtle Beach and again in Murshida Ivy Duce’s home in New York City in 1952, when I was four years old. I was again fortunate to spend time with Baba in 1956, when He stayed at the Delmonico Hotel in New York City and then in Myrtle Beach. As fate would have it, my life was centered on Baba, either through correspondence or meetings with Him, such as in Myrtle Beach in 1958 and again at the 1962 East–West Gathering. Baba literally guided my life.

My main contact with Doctor began in the summer of 1957. My mother was in the sewing circle that made clothing for Baba, which was given to Him in 1958 at Myrtle Beach. The group corresponded with Mani, to find out what clothing Baba could use. One day my mother asked the group if they knew of a good chiropractor, since our current chiropractor was moving. Adele Wolkin suggested that we go to Harry as chiropractic patients, since she was a long-time patient of Dr. Kenmore. In fact, she was one of the first to tell Harry about Meher Baba. She was instrumental as a link, which brought Harry to Baba in India, as His chiropractic doctor in the fall of 1957.

Many times in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, my mother would assist Harry in the evenings, when we were his last patients. She would read letters and x-ray reports to him after he finished treating us. Then in the spring of 1963 she became his secretary, at Baba’s request.

Here is a letter from Mani to my mother, dated December 19, 1962 to confirm Baba’s wish for my mother to work for Harry as his secretary.

Ann, dearest sister,

After my first letter to you on reaching Meherazad I did not expect to be writing to you, but now I have a very happy opportunity of doing so as the Beloved wants me to reply to your letter to Him on December 10th. Your first direct letter to Him arrived also, and touched His heart deeply, as did also dear Larry’s letter – and oh, what lovely handwriting he has! He certainly gets the first prize for it among all the letters that came, including all the grown-ups – it is, as we describe it in Indian, like pearls, just as his heart’s wish expressed at the end of the letter truly a pearl. In your letter of the 10th Baba says that He knows all, that you and Larry are very dear to Him, and that His nazar is on you both and always will be. He also approves of your working for dear Harry as he needs a secretary – in fact He said it is "a good idea…..

Much love to you and Larry,

Mani

My parents were already separated since 1959. Shortly after my mother started to work for Harry we moved to the building in Manhattan where Harry had his office and residence at 121 West 72nd Street in New York City. We were on the eleventh floor and Harry lived and worked on the second floor. Eventually, the Society for Avatar Meher Baba opened an office next door to Harry’s office and residence in the fall of 1967.

Gradually over the years, before I went away to college, as I looked upon Harry as a second father, I realized he thought of me as a son. One example was the time when I was in my senior year of High School and was applying to various colleges. One day, Doctor, after he finished giving me a chiropractic adjustment, asked me if I wanted to study to become a chiropractor. He said he would teach me all his chiropractic techniques, which he developed over the years, and would totally pay for my college education. At which time I told him that it was very nice of him to think of me in that way, but I felt that I wasn’t the type of individual that could be a healer and work with human beings in that respect. I felt my calling was leaning towards some artistic and design career. But Harry was still willing to pay for my education. When he asked Baba about this on his next visit to India, Baba told him that Annarosa and Larry would be able to manage on their own.

At this time there was another chiropractor, Dr. Ray O’Neal, a friend of Doctor’s, who went to Chiropractic College with Harry and assisted him with his studies. In the later years, Doctor taught many of his own techniques to Dr. O’Neal. This enabled him to substitute a few days a week running Harry’s practice, while he was in India with Baba. So when both doctors died Harry’s unique technique died with them.

My wife, Rita, met Dr. Kenmore when she was eighteen years old, in the fall of 1969, at a Monday Night Group meeting in New York City. He gave one of his heart-felt talks about Baba and she was so taken with this talk. When she found out that Dr. Kenmore gave regular talks on Saturday nights, at the Society for Avatar Meher Baba office, she started to attend these meetings as well. Baba first told Harry, back in 1965, to start giving public talks. Harry expressed his concern to Baba that he didn’t feel that he could do a good job for Him in this regard. Baba then told him, Think of me and you will capture their minds, while I will capture their hearts. Rita believes this is what happened to her. She later began to volunteer at the Society for Avatar Meher Baba, along with other members, to transcribe Harry’s Saturday evening talks, to be used in ‘the Way and the Goal’ newsletter. Now we are both so glad that his talks were preserved. And we hope later on we will be able to gather them into a book. But that will have to be our next project!

Our prompting to compile a book about Harry and his relationship with Baba began in 2003, when we moved to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We were completing a book, ‘The Circle of Life and Death’ at the time. As we were organizing and setting up our home office we realized how much material we had accumulated from Harry’s collection of tapes, of his conversations from his visits with Baba in India, which Sheriar Foundation had transferred onto archival CD’s for preservation, his talks about Baba and his letter and cable correspondence over a fourteen year period.

Finally, in 2013 we began the process of listening to and reading through all of these materials. We then decided which conversations to transcribe from the CD’s and what letters and cables to use for this book. Also, many of the young, Baba lovers in the late 1960’s, now grown up, were generous to share their experiences of their time with Harry.

Eruch once told Harry, on his last visit to Meherazad, that he needed to share his experiences with Baba. He said Harry had a unique way of using language to interpret Baba’s messages. This was also told to Harry, in 1962, by a well-known astrologer, Sir Hugh McCraig. Harry, he said, had the ability to combine his talent of creative writing with his ability to use psychology to present Eastern philosophy in a new way for the Western world. So as we began to write Harry’s story, we realized that Harry himself was doing his own writing, through his collection of talks, conversations, letters and cables!

This project has had a profound impact on us. As we interacted with the conversations and correspondence of this ‘lion’ of a man and mandali of Meher Baba and with Meher Baba Himself – the God-man of the Age, we understood that this book goes beyond a simple biography. Hearing Baba communicating, through Eruch or other mandali, physically hearing Him snap His fingers and clapping His hands as He gestured His responses, we felt we were in His presence. Baba also shared with us His own physical suffering through the conversations He had with Harry and Dr. Goher, recorded on tape, as they worked together to alleviate His physical suffering. Looking through this window into Harry’s life, we were able to participate in their world, and it is through Harry and Baba’s own words. We hope this Presence is communicated to you so you will also enter into this experience and glimpse this love they shared together.

Larry and Rita Karrasch

North Myrtle Beach, SC

 Introduction

‘Harry – The Story of Dr. Harry Kenmore and His Life with His Beloved Pop, Meher Baba’, unveils a heart-warming and intimate side of what life was like with Meher Baba and His mandali, through the family style, casual conversations that took place in Meherazad and Guruprasad. We are grateful to Baba for allowing and even encouraging Harry to record these intimate talks. We were able to hear and transcribe Baba’s words – interpreted by Eruch on the audio tapes, and even heard Baba refer to Harry’s recorders, on many occasions, as the ‘babies’. Baba on many occasions would ask Harry if he brought the ‘babies’ with him, when Harry would first arrive on each visit. Baba would also tell Harry to shut the ‘baby’ when He didn’t want the conversation recorded.

From the late 1950’s through the 1960’s, Dr. Kenmore would travel to India many times, sometimes staying for one to two months at a time, in Meherazad with Baba and the mandali. He also became very close with Meherjee, Francis, Mani and especially with Eruch, who called Harry his ‘benchmate’. They would sit for hours discussing various topics on the green bench outside of Mani’s office, in Meherazad or on a bench in the Bund Garden, in Poona, if Baba was in residence at Guruprasad. These conversations were also recorded and Eruch and all the mandali were aware that their conversations were being recorded.

Eruch would tell Harry stories about Baba in the early days and they would discuss various spiritual topics that Harry would record on his tape recorder. During Harry’s lifetime he would use the material from these conversations to give his public talks on Meher Baba. And he would send copies of the various talks to India for Baba and the mandali to review. In one of Harry’s letters to Eruch he thanks his benchmate for helping to feed the babies!

Eruch actually requested Harry in one of their conversations in Meherazad, to publish his experiences, because Eruch felt Harry had a deep understanding of Baba’s life and work because of his intimacy with the God-man, both as His doctor and mandali. Meher Baba on different occasions called Harry Kenmore one of His most intimate mandali, His apostle, His dear son and a chip off the Ole Block. This relationship with his ‘benchmate’ would even continue after Baba dropped His body. Eruch would look forward to Harry’s visits, and was greatly saddened by his death in May of 1971, which brought an end to this tradition.

We begin Harry’s story with a biography of his early life, gathered from the memories of those who were close to Harry in the 1960’s, along with research into his personal belongings and archival material. Although Harry didn’t share much of his early personal life we were able to piece together a chronological sequence of events outlining the major milestones of this early period in his life.

Once Harry met Meher Baba in 1956 we are then able to delve into his story with more detail. Through correspondence that began in 1957, between Baba and Harry, we can reveal a unique relationship that spans thirteen years with Baba. His visits treating Baba, as a chiropractic doctor, began in November, 1957 and continued through his last visit with His Beloved in November, 1968. Harry continued his visits with his Meherazad family and maintained his correspondence with them in India after Baba dropped His body, on January 31, 1969.

When compiling and editing this book, the letters and cables written over the years, were left as is, as well as the tape transcriptions between Harry and Baba. Tape transcriptions between Harry and various mandali were only edited to create a better flow, but the content was never altered. Each tape transcription begins with the person’s name who is speaking. When we write Eruch it is Eruch speaking for himself, and when we write Baba, it is Eruch, most often, interpreting and speaking out Baba’s words.

Harry’s talks were also only edited for spelling and grammar, since he typed his own letters and at times his fingering of the keys were not accurate. Being blind, it was quite an accomplishment to type his personal correspondence. A few times Eruch or Mani would let Harry know that a blank page was sent! Mani, the creative one, thought of a way to enliven the page with words. She used the pencil method of gently rubbing the graphite point over the page identifying the typewriter key indentations on the paper to reveal a complete Harry letter! Unaware to Harry, in the middle of a letter, the typewriter ribbon would run out.

As dramatic as Harry’s life begins, his story takes many twists and turns, which you will be able to see had the Master’s hand guiding and influencing this unique life as it unfolded.

Larry and Rita Karrasch

North Myrtle Beach, SC

Chapter 1

1910-1956

Early Years

Every once in a while, one comes across a unique and exceptional soul, Harry was one of them. His life began as a normal child at a pivotal time in history. It was before World War I and America was becoming a world leader. Thousands of immigrants were flocking to its shores to find a better life. Two of them were Harry’s parents. They left their home countries as Jewish immigrants to make a better life in America. It was the late 19th century. Harry’s father, Lewis Klein, was born in 1883 in Austria, and arrived in the United States near the turn of the century. His mother, Ida (maiden name unkown) was born in 1892 in Romania and came to America as a young girl. According to the United States Census of 1910, 1920 and 1930 Lewis worked as an egg inspector. He and his wife were both able to read and write in their native language.

Harry was born Harry Lionel Klein on Thursday, February 10, 1910, between 2-2:30 pm in Brooklyn, New York and lived in an apartment building on Meserole Street. The family spoke Jewish in the home. Harry had four siblings, his brothers - Bernard, Perry, Jason and his sister Beatrice. Bernard was the oldest of the brothers, two years senior to Harry. Beatrice was the youngest sibling. Harry’s family lived in Brooklyn until about 1920. Later the family moved to the Bronx, New York, probably at 108 Bathgate Avenue, according to the 1920 U.S. census. And by 1925 they moved to the borough of Manhattan, living on the corner of 184th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue.

Harry was born into this life to later face hardships and challenges. Many individuals in his position would not have had the character, stamina or discipline to pursue a fulfilling life - developing a successful career and striving for the spiritual meaning and purpose of life. He did not succumb to despair or recklessness that might have occurred if a watchful eye was not overseeing his development. His later teenage years were not filled with love and joy as you will see as his story unfolds.

When I first knew Harry he would refer to himself as an orphan and was very private about his personal life. It was only later on that my mother and I found out that he indeed knew who his parents were and had spent his early childhood and adolescence with them and his siblings. But later on there was an estrangement between them and at the time we didn’t know why.

As a young boy, to earn money for the family, Harry played stand in roles in the Spanky and Our Gang Comedy Show – The Little Rascals, which later aired on television in the 1950’s. He was well liked in school and was a good student, an athlete and a leader among his peers. He had many friends. As a youngster, he embodied many of those qualities which were later to distinguish his adult life. He was honest, fearless, brave, big-hearted and above all independent. He was a natural choice for president of school societies and clubs. His peers respected his sound judgment and clear thinking. His two closest boyhood friends, Bernard Schwartz and Benjamin Rose, who later shared with us these character qualities of his early life, remained friends and helped him over the years until Harry’s death.

The following are a few letters written by Harry, at the age of fifteen to his friend Bernard. It appears that Harry went to Far Rockaway, New York to work in the summer of 1925. It is unclear from the letters what type of work he was engaged in, but it appears that he worked in some kind of grocery store. As you will see, in the following letters, Harry had already a natural gift of the written language.

2959 Atlantic Ave., Edgemere, Far Rockaway, NY

c/o of Mrs. Lombard: H. Klein

(new address) 3422 Edgemere Ave. Edgemere Long Island

2959 Atlantic Ave.

June 23, 1925

My dear Bernard,

Hello there! How’s business? Huh? How’s the world treating you? A-ha so I see! Next time you behave yourself, you naughty boy! Explain yourself! Shut up! Fermez la Busch! Say listen to what I have to say. Shut up! Listen now–-Please don’t you understand? Now! Oh well, I guess I’ll have to go gently with you. Here goes!

I arrived in the Hick town last Tuesday the 16th in the best of health. Amen! Behind me, I had left a people sweltering in the heat of a blazing sun, but on arriving in this here town, I found a people of the same type. (But a little more Kosher) enjoying a delightful, refreshing cool breeze from the sea. (How selfish) Well from the station carrying a bundle of books in one hand and an immense bundle of clothes in the other, I walked to the cottage where I was going to take up my place of abode for the whole summer. My room is a jim-dandy! It is a somewhat large one containing three screened and curtained windows which looks out the backyard, side and front lawns of green, sweet smelling grass. The room contains a dresser, clothing closet set in the wall, a large and small bed and a small writing table. A rocking chair and a straight backed chair also, is a part of the furniture. Cooking is done downstairs in the main kitchen. I am satisfied with my environments.

Hail! Hail! The first week’s work is over. Some crisp bills amounting to $14.00 are nestling in the hands of my mother. I work from 8 to 6:30. I’m getting along fine–-with the fruit in the store I mean I eat piles of it. And gosh that’s no exaggeration!

Well, all’s ok with me but how is tricks with you? How’s your folks? Give them my best and Heartiest Regards. I still scold myself about the misfortune I brought about on my visit but don’t tell them about it. Please don’t. And don’t the Poetry that you promised me. I’m awfully tired now and I guess

The shades of night has

Falling fast

And the time for bed is here–-

At last

For if I go to sleep late

Get up late–-And go to

Work late

Who knows, the boss may give me the gate.

Your friend Always,

Harry Klein

959 Atlantic Ave

c/o Lombard

Far Rockaway, New York

July 23, 1925

My dear Bernard,

Why don’t you write, oh Bernard my friend, I watch for the post each day and I miss you, and I’m awfully mad and for its day since I last heard from you. And I’ve made it a habit for to run each morn with great anxiety, to the box on the door. But oh still I am waiting, waiting for some news, some news from you.

What is the matter oh Bernard my friend, no letter again today? Why did the postman leave no mail, for is it because you have not written to me? So here shall I wait – waiting still hoping. So you’ll write, you’ll write oh Bernard my friend, before the last of the month is out. And you won’t forget oh Bernard, my friend. While there is yet ink in your pen. For all our friendship and hope and joy I hope I will hear from you soon.

P.S. My mom has consented for you to spend a weekend. But if you decline it I guess I will–-oh well!

Anxiously waiting, I am Your Friend always,

Harry Klein

2959 Atlantic Ave

c/o Lombard

Far Rockaway, New York

August 17, 1925

My dear Bernard,

To begin with I am not going to excuse myself for not writing to you sooner. I know that it is my duty to answer letters which I receive, But Gee work’s over at 6, and when I flop into a chair

oh how I hate to get up and move my arms! I just don’t know usually, people that write letters to friends living out of town, think that the friend in particular doesn’t care whether they be friends or not, when no answer arrives. You may think this, I believe. But please put it aside. You just don’t understand! You may say what harm or time is there in writing a few lines. Nothing, but that’s just the point. That’s the core of the matter. It is the effort of the getting and writing with the pen. You won’t understand. It cannot be explained here. If you desire, I’ll explain the next time we see each other. The reason in writing this is that maybe you’re thinking as I haven’t written for some time my friendship to you means nothing. It sure does mean something. For the present we’ll abandon this displeasing topic of communication.

Say, Berny, here’s hoping you’re enjoying yourself. Amen! I think I am. Why out here the sewers are over flooded. Sidewalks are blocked and pretty soon the gutters will at this rate. Edgemere is flooded! Think! The Hickiest of Hick towns that a fellow ever Hick Hicked in having excitement! It’s a wow! Oh yes! I’ll tell you all about it when I get back! I sure will! Too bad the mountains can’t be flooded. Too bad!

Well, the call for supper is here and I’ve just had a dip, working up an appetite. Yum! Yum! The rest you know!

Well, here’s till we meet again in the best of health and full of each other’s summer adventures, close.

Your friend always,

Harry Klein

When Harry returned home after his summer job, Janet, his daughter, said her father started experiencing night blindness. This was the time he was entering High School. His parents took him to an eye doctor and they found out that he had a congenital eye disease, retinitis pigmentosa, which would cause total blindness in the future. That diagnosis was withheld from Harry by his parents. The disease progressed more rapidly than the doctors had anticipated. At about the age of sixteen years old he woke up one morning but the room was still black. He could feel the warm rays of the sun on his face and body. But as he opened his eyes he was cold-stone blind! You could imagine what a shock this was for a young and active teenage boy. He must have called out to his parents with fear in his voice, only to learn later that they knew this would happen and had not prepared him for this life-changing, traumatic event.

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Harry at the age of sixteen Kenmore Collection

When Harry realized he was irreversibly blind he asked his father what he could do to earn his living. His father replied, get a street-cart and sell rags on the street! This was 1926. He was so devastated by his father’s lack of concern and his unwillingness to have prepared him for his blindness. His father felt Harry’s blindness would be a financial burden on the family. It was hard for Harry to grasp that his family knew about this approaching blindness and that they continued to show a lack of concern for his future. Maybe because of the hard times the family faced with four other children to support, they lacked the parental skills to deal with such an affliction. Though for Harry this was too much to bear. So, it must have been, at this point, that he decided to make his own way in life.

With the strength of his character and the strong will that he possessed, having somehow learned how to navigate with his blindness, after a while he finally decided to leave home without finishing High School. Harry would later relate that for a time, he became a hobo, hopping freight trains and living a vagabond life. He moved from city to city, town to town. He once commented to a member of the Society for Avatar Meher Baba, Doug Webb, That the best way to get a free meal is to dress your best and sneak into a wedding, or a wake, or some other affair in a nice hotel, and make the rounds of the buffet tables. He advised filling up on meat and vegetables, which he claimed you could pack away in vast amounts before feeling too full to eat any more. But, he said, You had to avoid the bread and carbohydrates since they were too filling!

During his train travels he met a traveling circus. They took a liking to him and adopted him as one of their own. He traveled from town to town, with the circus, where he was able to earn some money. This is where he probably learned, from one the performers, about the occult. Through this initial introduction he became a great hypnotist, which he later used in his career. He once told a group of young Baba followers, in the late 1960’s, that he could put an entire audience to sleep, or wake them, just by varying the volume of his voice during a lecture. He seemed to get a kick out of this talent!

At some point he worked in vaudeville and learned to play five different instruments – the piano, accordion, banjo, the flute and the harmonica. He learned to tell jokes with a good rhythm and timing, incorporating all this into an act that he would perform on stage. He used all the dialects and nationality accents to act them out and draw the audience in. Also, at this time, he began searching for the meaning of life. With the challenges he was facing he needed to discover the purpose for his life.

HLK03jpg.jpg

Harry at eighteen years old playing his banjo

Kenmore Collection

After years of being on the road, he realized that he should return to New York, sensing that his life needed more direction and purpose. Later on, on May 28, 1962, he had a session with a world renowned astrologer, Sir Hugh McCraig who provided astrological consultations for the Royal Family of England. From this taped interview we ascertained information about Harry’s life and how his future might unfold. From this astrological reading Harry was told that his father had a bigger influence on him than his mother. He was destined to be a teacher, creative writer, psychological philosopher or a doctor. He would be in a profession where he could help people with their health and mental attitude. Later, Harry would use psychology, creative language and physical healing to consolidate his purpose in this life. His true destiny was to seek wisdom and to be a messenger of light. He was also told that he had a guardian angel always looking after him.

After his return to his neighborhood in New York, where he had grown up, to earn a living he was a magazine salesman, according to the 1930 United States Census. He looked up his old school friends Bernard and Benjamin and they worked with Harry by reading text books to him to get him through his High School night courses. He also received help developing needed skills at the Lighthouse for the Blind, such as learning to read and write in braille, so he could attain a High School equivalency diploma. He had an excellent mind and was capable of memorizing everything. From his High School records we learned that his grades were all in the high 90’s. Then with all his course work completed he arranged to be tested to demonstrate his competency.

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Harry’s Washington Irving Evening High School Diploma Kenmore Collection

Once Harry had his Evening High School degree in September, 1939, he wondered what to do with his life - what profession to follow. He decided he should interview people in different walks of life to help him decide what direction he should take. So he made up excuses to see all sorts of people in different careers. Harry, himself, relates a story that took place in the late 1930’s. I am reminded of an internist, an expert diagnostician, one of the Chiefs of Staff at one of our big General Hospitals in the City, and this goes back more than three and a half decades. I used to drop in to see him about twice a week, and we used to study a textbook of physical diagnosis. I remember him standing up and pacing the floor. I had asked him a question about something. He had given an answer. I had corrected him because I was closer to the material than he was – I was a student. And a student sometimes is closer to the material than even someone who is teaching. He taught me a lesson when he said, Always remember this, when you set yourself up to teach students or people in a given subject, be absolutely certain you give them exact information. You cannot afford to make any errors because they will lean upon it authoritatively, and once you’ve given the wrong information it’s going to be very difficult for you to change it. Be sure it is exact.

That is how Harry began to live his life, with an attitude of responsibility in all he said and did, whether it was in his professional or his spiritual life. He began to question, in earnest, the purpose of his life and the reason for his blindness. He gave much thought to the type of career he would pursue. He felt he could best work with his hands and was led into the area of chiropractic through the guidance of counselors at the Lighthouse for the Blind. At about this time, Harry changed his last name from Klein to Kenmore to further disassociate himself from his family and because of Jewish prejudice.

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Harry in his late twenties Kenmore Collection

He enrolled in the New York School of Chiropractic, learning the Palmer technique of diagnosis and adjustment. Harry told a Society member that when he went to chiropractic school he had to have all his textbooks read to him. He then had to memorize all the concepts and techniques as they would be described in the books. After that he had to learn manually to execute the concepts which he memorized from the books being read to him. He satisfactorily completed the course prescribed by this institution. He was therefore entitled to his diploma conferring the degree of Doctor of Chiropractic. He graduated on June 7th 1941, but to practice in New York State, he needed to acquire a Chiropractic license from the state of Vermont. At the time New York did not recognize the profession of Chiropractors. By the year 1942 Harry’s address was listed in the Manhattan Telephone Directory as 111 West 77th Street.

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Doctor of Chiropractic Diploma from the New York School of Chiropractic Kenmore Collection

Harry mentioned to Sir Hugh McCraig that he was involved with a woman for two and a half years. After this relationship ended he later met his future wife, Barbara Isrealson at the Lighthouse for the Blind in July of 1946. They were married on September 5, 1946. He recollects that he was restless, after his romantic break-up and probably married on the rebound. But he later said that he did fall in love with his wife after a few years.

Barbara introduced Harry to the First Church of Religious Science in Brooklyn, New York, founded by Raymond Charles Barber in 1946. She was very spiritual minded and attended this church, later becoming a reader for the Blind and a church practitioner. The church believed in Christ and Buddha’s philosophies. Cecil B. DeMille and Cary Grant were members and they both met Meher Baba. Louise Hay was also a member. Harry became interested in the philosophy and started to attend the church.

Janet, his daughter, was born the next year, in June of 1947. They were living in Park Slope, Brooklyn when she was born. But, unfortunately, when Janet was about five or six years old her parents divorced. That was around 1952.

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Harry with his daughter, Janet in August, 1953

Kenmore Collection

His daughter said he lived alone after the divorce and didn’t have helpers because he was an independent type. Harry also said, for similar reasons, this is why he did not have a secretary. We believe he initially moved on his own to an apartment on West 80th Street in Manhattan. From what we gathered he worked in a clinic, after his graduation, doing chiropractic work and using his hypnotism skills. This is when he began to develop his own unique chiropractic technique.

Harry was involved in thousands of accidents. He said, I’ve run into obstacles, been hit by automobiles, fallen down numerous times, even lost my balance walking between subway cars or walking off the edge of subway platforms. I have been in a lot of accidents, hurting my head and my legs. I can’t slow down, it’s my nature. He showed me his legs one day and they were covered with scars!

While working at a clinic, in the late 1940s’, Harry would often walk to a local restaurant for his lunch. He spoke of an incident that happened to him while he was walking back from lunch to the clinic. He described how he walked into an open elevator shaft. I fell down a couple of stories. I spun around, like a pin-wheel and when I landed I knew I was alright. I felt around for my neurological cram book, found the ladder, grabbed hold of it and climbed out. I just dusted myself off, went upstairs to the clinic and treated a patient!

All his life, he had been an avid reader and over many years had gained an extensive knowledge of the arts, literature, music, science, history, philosophy and religion. This insatiable thirst for knowledge led him to explore and develop a deeper longing for the food of Love, which can only come from God Himself.

Harry would retreat for a week or two each year to a hotel room in Miami, Florida to meditate. He once said to Bob Ganz, a young member of the Society for Avatar Meher Baba, that the Garden of Eden was a place in the subtle world. Bob took this to mean that Harry had been there, during his many meditations. Harry also related that he learned to practice levitation and had many out of body experiences. During many of these sessions in Florida Harry would read a braille Bible, taking Jesus at first, before he knew about Meher Baba, to be one who became God and he intended to do the same through his own effort. He once told Doug Webb, that while meditating back in New York City he would actually leave his physical body and explore the Manhattan neighborhood in which he lived, viewing all the stores on his street. This seems to be the reason why Harry could navigate around his neighborhood as if he had eyesight.

Harry also told Eruch about his meditation experiences before meeting Baba, on an audio- taped conversation, during the afternoon of February 4, 1970, while walking with him on the Khajgi Rasta road outside of Meherazad. Harry recalled that when he started to meditate, because he had no guidance, he was doing it on his own.

Harry said, "So, I brought up this pain by hurling myself to the floor. And it was quite an experience. Now, I know the other world. When you told me about your incident this morning, the bigness of it all, you could understand that I had gone right out of my body and honestly, I tell you it’s so hard to describe. I was as light as a feather. I felt like I was air, literally air, like I had no body; that I had a body that was a body, totally weightless. You know, I could lift my arm up, there’s no weight. I could take a yogi position, like the one you do, and with the greatest of ease I had no limbs, and yet I had limbs. It’s so hard to describe and it’s so wonderful. The thought kept running through my head, one line, God is Consciousness with a capital C. And Consciousness is God. That kept running back and forth, back and forth. Consciousness is God, you hear, I had it for several hours, not just for a minute. Then I would go downstairs in the hotel where I was stopping at. I would sit with people and gradually the world and its heaviness would come back into my body. I did this on four or five occasions. I didn’t do it just once, so this is why I knew it was real.

There was something in life besides the physical body. This was a mystery, but I had no guidance. I know what the Garden of Eden is. I stood before the Garden of Eden but I couldn’t slip into it. I just needed one step and it would be all over. Just go through the door. I couldn’t do it." Harry gasped. "And the perfumes that I smelled," he gasped again, "Oh God, it’s so indescribable! It was beautiful and luxurious, the blooms and oh, what a garden, absolutely devastating. I was right there and I needed one step to get in there and I couldn’t make it. Gradually it faded out." Harry laughed. "It wasn’t just a minute it stayed for about an hour or so. You know, it kept going. Oh, I would do all these things and have a lot of experiences, but, I don’t know. How the hell are you going to forget yourself?" And Eruch laughs.

Harry further pursued his search for God through various philosophies and teachings. He read through many books on the teachings of Theosophy, Rosicrucian, Rudolph Steiner and Manly P. Hall. To listen to these books Harry would pay people to read them out loud onto recording tapes. Harry also attended many of Manly P. Hall’s lectures in New York City. Later on Harry found it interesting that he was drawn to these philosophies, after he heard that Baba said Rudolph Steiner and Manly P. Hall were both on the fifth plane of consciousness.

In the early 1950’s Harry opened his chiropractic office on West 72nd Street in Manhattan. Adele Wolkin – a close disciple of Meher Baba, became Harry’s chiropractic patient at this time. She heard of him through a very enthusiastic patient whom he treated. Adele said, His therapy on me was impressive. He was notably intelligent and talented. I was an especially critical patient of chiropractors or any body workers but I found him to be outstanding. I was the one who recommended so many patients to him. He was very intuitive. He would put your legs together and then see exactly where you were out of balance and then he would adjust you. As he was my doctor, I told him about Meher Baba and he immediately took to Him.

Harry said he learned about Baba just two weeks after the 1954 Three Incredible Weeks Sahavas which took place in India with Meher Baba. Harry once said, on a tape, that he would have gone to that Sahavas if he had only known about Baba earlier.

Two other patients of Dr. Kenmore were Margaret Craske – an English, celebrated, prima ballet mistress and long-time disciple of Meher Baba, since the 1930’s and Christine Weiss who first met Baba in 1952, provided Harry with knowledge and information about Meher Baba’s life and work. Margaret also used to read Meher Baba’s Discourses to Harry. Margaret explained, I would read the Discourses to him in the evening, after work. At first the Discourses were important, than Baba became important. Soon that’s all we talked about.

Harry had his first meeting with Baba in July, 1956 at the Delmonico Hotel in Manhattan and attended the dinner held for Baba at the Longchamp’s restaurant, then again at The Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He immediately recognized Meher Baba as his true Beloved and as Almighty God in human form. When Harry had his interview with Baba, in the Lagoon Cabin in 1956, he asked Baba why was he blind in this life? He told Baba that he was able to look back into his past four lifetimes and could not find any karmic reason for this blindness. Baba said, That if you had not become blind in this life you would have become a great, world renowned surgeon, and then you would have had no reason to search for me. I gave you these vidnyani sanskaras so you would have to meet me in this Advent. After this meeting with Baba, Harry became resigned to his blindness. Baba also told Harry that he had been one of His Generals when He was Sivaji – a minor Avataric incarnation, in India. And Harry had been a very fierce warrior. This type of personality carried over into this lifetime as Harry became a fierce warrior for Baba! His most recent incarnation, told by Mr. McCraig, was in India, which corresponds with the incarnation that Baba was referring too. Before this he had an incarnation in Morocco and then Egypt.

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Christine Weiss and Harry with Meher Baba in Longchamp’s Restaurant Meher Nazar Publications

The following incident occurred in Lagoon Cabin during Harry’s interview with Baba.

Excerpt from ‘Lord Meher’

Baba signaled for Harry Kenmore to come over, as He had promised, to let the blind chiropractor feel His face. He took Harry’s two hands in His own and brought the heels of the palms down hard over His cheeks. Harry then freed his fingers so he could palpate the outlines of Baba’s features.

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Harry (standing to the right of photo with Larry and Annarosa Karrasch to his right) at the tree planting ceremony with Baba, Elizabeth Patterson, the mandali and other disciples in Myrtle Beach, 1956 Photographer unknown

Harry returned to New York after meeting Baba in Myrtle Beach thinking that he would not be allowed to continue to California with Him. But when he discovered that he could have taken the opportunity to further his time with Baba he was distressed. Here is another excerpt from ‘Lord Meher’ that describes how Harry reacted to the news.

Excerpt from ‘Lord Meher’

As Eruch was watching TV, at about 2:30 A.M., the telephone rang, it was Harry Kenmore in New York. No one had informed him that he could have accompanied Baba to California, and he asked if he could fly out immediately. Baba gestured to Eruch to tell Kenmore, Don’t come now. You will have many more opportunities to come to me."

Chapter 2

1957

Harry’s First Trip to India

Harry longed to serve his Beloved, and his chance came in 1957 to use his expertise as a chiropractor to treat Baba. The second car accident that Baba sustained on December 2, 1956 in Satara, India left Baba with serious injuries to His face and hip. Harry was deeply distressed when he learned of the details of the accident. He then knew that he could be of some help to his Lord when he read in a Family Letter that Baba had accepted the suggestion that He seek out chiropractic help. With Adele Wolkin’s assistance, Harry began to correspond with Baba to be of service to the One he now took to be the Father of all creation and the True Beloved of each and every heart.

Harry, on a later date, remarked, There are very few doctors who would close up their offices at a moment’s notice and leave, possibly never to return. When I closed up my office, when I locked up that clinic, it didn’t matter one hoot whether I was ever to return or remain away from it for an indefinite time or forever. That was a time when my clinic represented virtually everything in life – it was my livelihood and everything that I had strived for. When I arrived in India to work with Baba, it didn’t matter one wit when I was going to return. I didn’t have the slightest bit of worry or concern. In fact, I never even gave it a thought. I didn’t know until the second week in India, when I was to return. When I returned it didn’t matter whether my office was busy or not busy. I wasn’t concerned. In other words, I came back with the attitude of leaving everything to Baba. Leave everything to Him.

Harry had not yet begun to record his meetings with Baba in India, so we do not have those wonderful, intimate, audio-taped conversations from this first visit, as we do with his later visits.

In the book, ‘Lord Meher’ a brief description is given. On 5th November 1957, the chiropractor Harry Kenmore arrived in Meherazad with Meherjee. He had brought his own folding table, and began treating Baba in Mandali Hall for an hour every morning and another hour every evening. He added more protein and vitamins to Baba’s diet. ….One day Baba remarked to Kenmore, Someday, I will give you true sight – a glimpse of Myself which will make you realize that it is the only thing worth seeing. What others see with their physical eyes has no value.

When Harry returned from his momentous visit with Meher Baba and the mandali, he gave a two part talk about his experiences to the Monday Night Group of Baba followers in New York City. On the tape recording, we hear Harry introducing the first part of this talk with this statement: During my stay in Meherazad, India, I kept no daily log or did I make a set of written notes. Most of the remarks made herein are the result of thoughts that came to my mind at random during this meeting in New York City.

Monday Night Group Meeting Talk by Harry Kenmore

My Momentous Visit with Meher Baba

This is an excerpt from a four page Baba reminder of September 7, 1957 which was the keynote and purpose for my memorable homecoming with Baba in Meherazad, India.

The following is read by Enid Corfe, a long time Baba lover.

But how difficult it is to overcome all hindrances and complete the work in hand when there are distractions to be reckoned with. The pain in my hip joint, for example is one of the many distractions that I must endure while doing my work. If this pain should vanish or even lessen, to some extent, my work will be fulfilled, in spite of the onslaught of this dark cloud, which threatens to jeopardize fulfillment.

We now take great pleasure in presenting to you a talk by Dr. Harry Kenmore who has just returned from an intimate visit with Meher Baba. And now we present Dr. Kenmore.

At this time in Meherazad the time is growing nigh for Savik the night watchman to be relived for the night, who has been on watch from 11:00 pm until about 6:30 – 7:00 am in the morning. The tiny community of Meherazad has come to life. Baidul has appeared in his outdoor kitchen at about 5:00 am and the mandali have just about had their chapatti and tea for their morning breakfast. And Baba’s getting ready to come down to the tent. I call it the ‘tent’, it used to serve as a garage in the center of this acreage and later as a stable. And now Baba uses it as His headquarters for the mandali and the private Darshans which He gives to those who call on Him from the outside world. The difference in time is about eleven hours forward of New York time and I will have already been half way down the road of the Khajgi Rasta, the private road leading to the highway, and soon I’ll be coming back to have my breakfast on the veranda of the building I was staying in.

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Baba and Harry outside the ‘tent’-Mandali Hall, Meherazad, 1957 Kenmore Collection

Harry Offers Baba His Services

I became interested in the case of Meher Baba, as a patient in the later part of September – October, when Adele Wolkin called me on the phone to give me a more or less technical description of Baba’s condition and the type of treatment that has been rendered and that which is being contemplated. Adele was filled with a feeling of dismay at what had transpired since the accident of Baba on December 2, 1956. Through the Family Letters that I have received I had a feeling that all wasn’t well. That we didn’t know clearly what had happened to Baba. There were conflicting reports as to His state of health and I must admit that I had become a little indifferent. Given the fact of this indifference and wondered why something more tangible and constructive wasn’t being done. I believe it came to a head when Adele called me on the phone one day.

She read a letter that was marked confidential from Dr. Goher K. Irani, the personal physician of Baba, and then I realized that more should have been done and more could have been done. And even still more can be done. She caught me in a state of mind where I was quite willing to become keenly interested to the point where we sat down together. I dictated an answer to Dr. Goher through one of Adele’s letters as to the proper concept that should be brought about with Baba’s condition as so far as the supervision of treatment was concerned. Dr. Goher’s return answer seemed to collaborate with my point of view. And she felt that it appeared to be the right approach. She requested literature about the science of chiropractic to be sent to her, so she could give it further consideration and study. Adele made every effort to provide this material, but the material that was provided hardly described the type of work that I was willing, subsequently, to offer to Baba because the type of chiropractic treatment I had in mind for Baba was something I had strenuously worked at for nearly ten years to develop.

It was a revolutionary concept both in chiropractic and the entire science of therapy in general. And I stated that as much through Adele in a letter. Later, I sat down and typed a letter to Baba personally when I heard that they were contemplating traveling as far as Calcutta, which was a 2,000 mile junket from Bombay, to visit for the first time a chiropractic doctor. Thereby, employing the application of the science of chiropractic for the first time to His remedial condition. Because I felt that he could hardly offer as much as I could knowing the full scope of the art and the practice of chiropractic. At this point, I then determined to definitely offer my services.

I typed this letter out one night and I didn’t realize how much I said until Mani later in India read it back to me. Then I asked for a copy of it and Enid Corfe will now read this letter, which became my first contact with Baba. And which precipitated me into one of the most momentous periods of my life.

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Blessed and signed photo of Baba in the early days. At the bottom Baba had someone write ‘I am The Highest of

The High’. Harry laminated the photo and always carried it with him. Kenmore Collection

Letter - October 1, 1957

My dear Baba,

For quite some time I have been thinking of yourself concerning