If you have memories or stories about Skymont, please share them for the newsletter (send to: communications.subudca@gmail .com.
Prior stories about Skymont, as told by Robert Mertens in the December issue, prompted Abraham Spivak to contribute his own memories of that time:
“That gathering in Skymont when Bapak and his party came occurred in 1970 and was not a World Congress. It was a boy’s camp when Livingston became interested in it in 1969. As a member of the Washington, D.C. group he approached several members of that group about the idea of purchasing the property. Thus, Joseph Jahoda, Bill Gunderman and myself joined with Livingston to buy the property. The facilities were very run down.
The actual story of Skymont’s beginning (Livingston did christen it with that name: “Where the mountains meet the sky”) is not very glamorous. The idea was to create a Subud enterprise, and when the word went out that workers would be needed to refurbish the dormitory like cabins, the almost outdoor showers and bathing facilities, the Great Hall, etc., a number of Subud members did come.
But as sometimes happens the goal changed with their arrival – the wish for a Subud Community. The small, individual cabins were fixed up and taken as places for them and their families to live. When Bapak agreed to have a Gathering at Skymont, Robert Batchelor was asked to manage the meals. That was done by his ordering pre-made frozen meals that were generally served outdoors.
The advent of the Subud Community after the Gathering was over was a memorable time for a number of families that made it their home. There is much to tell, but it is best probably to allow the view of Skymont as it has come to be. An interesting chapter. ”