Stephen Gaskin dead at 79

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Gaskin

He died on The Farm, in Tennessee, with Ina Mae at his side... he was a good friend to many, and last time I saw him he had a wonderful glint in his eye and remembered me from Amsterdam... where I had a great time with him way back when.

I visited the Farm in '75 and wondered at how they kept it all together, but the tofu they were selling was good stuff! They had something going on that was really GOOD.

RIP Saint Stephen...

RIP

Met the man in 2004 at the HT cup when he and his wife were being inducted into the counter culture all of fame. He was a stand up guy and very deserving of the honor.

from Wikipedia <////////////>~

Gaskin was born in Denver, Colorado and served in the US Marine Corps from 1952 to 1955. In the 1960s, he moved to San Francisco and taught English, creative writing, and general semantics at San Francisco State College, where he was a student of S. I. Hayakawa.[3]

Stephen Gaskin's writing class evolved into an open discussion group known as Monday Night Class, which involved up to 1500 students. The Monday Night Class was held in "The Family Dog", an auditorium on the Great Highway on the land side of Ocean Beach on the shore of the Pacific Ocean in the Outer Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco. Stephen Gaskin spoke about his experiences with psychedelic drugs and paranormal experiences, as well as lecturing on the importance of ecological awareness. This popular weekly gathering was attended by hippies from all over the San Francisco Bay Area during the years 1969 and 1970. Stephen became known as San Francisco's acid guru.

In 1970, Gaskin was part of a caravan of 60 vehicles that crossed the United States to settle 60 miles south-west of Nashville, Tennessee, forming a community called "The Farm", which the Wall Street Journal came to call "the General Motors of American Communes".[3] This community was "a platform from which to launch efforts to improve the lot of poor and indigenous peoples, whales, and old growth trees"[3] For example, raising 1,200 earthquake-resistant homes in Guatemala as well as several public buildings and water lines to 5 villages, sending independent dosimetry teams after the Three Mile Island accident and the Chernobyl disaster, or giving the Rainbow Warrior equipment to escape from a Spanish harbor.[3]

He went to prison in 1974 for marijuana possession, as members of the community had, against his recommendation, planted several marijuana plants on the property.[2] He served one year of a three-year sentence.[2] Following his release, his voting rights were rescinded. He brought a lawsuit challenging the legality of mass retroactive disenfranchisement under the Tennessee Constitution, Gaskin v. Collins. After winning in lower courts, the case went to the Tennessee Supreme Court and in 1981 returned voting rights to more than a quarter of a million convicts.[2]

In Volume One: Sunday Morning Services on the Farm and earlier talks, Stephen Gaskin produced a substantial body of spiritual teaching. His ideas are now contained in books and tapes of the Sunday Morning Services which were published by the Book Publishing Company on The Farm. They speak of magic, energy and life in community as well as of service to humanity.[4]

Gaskin was recipient of the first Right Livelihood Award in 1980 and an inductee into the Counterculture Hall of Fame in 2004. He was awarded the Golden Bolt Award by The Farm Motor Pool (for helping buy a lemon semi), and won the Guru-Off (without even entering), racking up 77 points to Krishnamurti’s 73.[5]

Gaskin continued to work as an international activist, writer and speaker until a few months before his death from natural causes, in his home, surrounded by family. His topics ranged from humorous advice on all aspects of communal life and farming to modern communications, the counter-culture, spirituality, drug law reform, and social and ecological issues. He was a drummer in The Farm Band, an early Jam Band which toured in the seventies and eighties. His last published works were revised and annotated versions of Monday Night Class and The Caravan. He died on July 1, 2014 from natural causes at the age of 79.[6]

Stephen Gaskin dead??? What a loss, what a guy!!!

RIP

So enjoyed his caravan RIP

His 'Monday Night Class' became the basis for the 4:20 forum at the cups in Amsterdam back in the early days. It was such a pleasure to sit in circle with SS and Ina Mae and chat, talk story and get high - before virtual reality hit us all.

Sad day.
Often times in my life I've wished I was born a generation earlier.
It's because of people like the Gaskins.
RIP Mr. Gaskin.

Respect for Stephen.

Old Hippies Never Die... They just get HIGH!

RIP, Stephen! The Old guard is passing away before our eyes...

Who will keep the flame lit after we're all gone?

RIP

RIP Brother!

This man is an American hero...he paved the way for you and me...RIP Broseph Stephen, we'll see you soon enough

RIP

Payaso said:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Gaskin

He died on The Farm, in Tennessee, with Ina Mae at his side... he was a good friend to many, and last time I saw him he had a wonderful glint in his eye and remembered me from Amsterdam... where I had a great time with him way back when.

I visited the Farm in '75 and wondered at how they kept it all together, but the tofu they were selling was good stuff! They had something going on that was really GOOD.

RIP Saint Stephen...

Click to expand...

I read his obit after he died, I wasn't familiar with him too much, had probably read something about him in the past. His obit and life story painted a picture of a really unique and forward thinking guy. Pretty amazing that you actually had some interaction with him.

RIP Stephen.